Dictionary Users in the Digital Revolution

This contribution examines the digital revolution in lexicography from the perspective the dictionary user. We begin with an observation that in the information age the of the dictionary is changing, and so are patterns of user behaviour, with general search engines encroaching on the grounds traditionally reserved for lexicographic . Clearly, we need to know more about user behaviour in the digital , and for this we need to harness user research, to find out how the increasingly and adaptive lexical reference tools of the future need to behave to best user needs. We summarize the existing findings and show in what ways dictionaries are already able to serve users better than their paper predecessors. challenge to produce efficient and effective dictionaries is best seen in the context dictionary users’ reference skills, which now tend to overlap with digital literacy. conclude with a possible vision of the future.