The British Council and Oxford University Press Launch “Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 9th edition with new tools for developing vital communication skills”
Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary is regarded as one of the best dictionaries in the world for the learners and users of English. The 9th edition, with a number of new features involving communication approach, will be more useful than ever before to the Bangladeshi users.
The launching ceremony, jointly organised by Oxford University Press and the British Council, was held in the Library of the British Council, Fuller Road, Dhaka on 1 September 2015.
Honourable Secretary from MOE Mr N I Khan attended the program as the chief guest and Professor Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman was the guest of honour.
The new 9th edition is much more than an A-Z dictionary: it is the ultimate speaking and writing tool. Global research, involving 14,000 teachers and students, led Oxford University Press to discover that speaking is now regarded as the most challenging aspect of learning English. As a result, the 9th edition includes the new Speaker and Speaking Tutor, designed specifically to help English learners to become effective communicators. The 9th edition is complete with the addition of over 700 new words and their respective meanings in the print dictionary, and a further 200 are added to the DVD and online versions. This seeks to accommodate the usage of new words in the English language that come from languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Persian, Tamil, etc.
Words such as biodata (for CV or résumé), or gymkhana (a public place with sports facilities) – may seem familiar to all speakers of English but have a different meaning in English spoken in the Indian sub continent. Words for food or cooking ingredients which are used internationally, such as keema (finely chopped meat), papad (poppadum), and curry leaf, are also included for the first time.
Using My Wordlists (premium online only) students can create their own lists of words to learn, and test themselves. In the print dictionary, new Wordfinder notes allow students to look up a word they know to find related words that are useful to learn.
Patrick White, Head of Dictionaries in the English Language Teaching Division, Oxford University Press (OUP), said: “OUP is committed to evolving with the changing needs of English learners. The 9th edition of Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (OALD) is a rich source of information that will support students in all aspects of developing English language skills in this day. The OALD really is the ultimate speaking and listening tool and I believe it will enrich the learning experience of every learner who uses it.”
OALD is published in print with DVD or access code to the new premium area of the website at www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com.