The importance of online dictionaries in language learning: A case study on third language acquisition of German

Abstract

The paper aims to study the ways in which online dictionaries help learners in their language learning in two perspectives: motivation and acquisition. A case study is drawn from a population of learners who chose Basic German as a third language to illustrate the results not only that the factors of social influence and self-management motivate them to use online dictionaries such as PONS Deutsch-Englisch/Englisch-Deutsch Online Wörterbuch in Basic German written assignments but also that they demonstrate their disappointment on the performance expectancy in using them for German learning. The latter is further evidenced in the error analysis conducted on the patterns of grammatical errors committed by the learners. Nevertheless, the pattern of grammatical errors can as well provide a scenario for new functions to be incorporated in online German dictionaries developed by software companies in the future.