Lexicographical Resources Assisting Vocabulary-building: an Irish-language Experience

Language-learning adults encounter a dictionary of some form as they develop a familiarity with their chosen language of learning. For children, the process is similar albeit that they may not have ‘chosen’ to learn the language in question in the same manner – their innate geographical location and the choices of their parents and guardians will play very important roles. All learners use dictionaries principally as an aid to build, and re-confirm, vocabulary in a language. Dictionaries facilitate a sense of ownership and enfranchising that has always had a presence in language learning, even though the concept of self-learning, and/or self-help is something that has only been a powerful force from the 20th century onwards. Building on the theoretical overview of learning vocabulary by utilising dictionaries, this paper aims at garnering an insight into how dictionaries can currently assist vocabulary-learning in an Irish-language immersion setting