[Lexicog] Re: [asialex] Re: [afrilex] Re: Re: [euralex] Re: [DSNA] RE: End of print dictionaries at Macmillan

[David Joffe]

On 7 Nov 2012 at 5:10, mmasibidisetaka at yahoo.com wrote:

> This is a very interesting debate I must say, however the first thing
> that we need to establish is a dictionary culture which I believe is
> not strong enough (especially in South Africa)before we could
> celebrate the end of print dictionaries and the beginning of a new era
> of online dictionaries. Secondly we need to consider the dynamics of
> the widening gap between those who have and those who don't, because a
> very small percentage of people have access to computers.

Hmm, a little perspective here perhaps: Smartphones *are* computers, 
and the *cheapest* smartphone is a FAR more powerful computer than 
the computer I first learned to program on. I recently took an 
R80/month contract here (approx $10/month), and for that I have a 
portable computer/cellphone in hand that compares as follows to the 
computer I learned to program on:

- 832MHz process vs 2 MHz processor
- Size:portable vs Size: Large heavy desktop
- Screen: 240x320 256K colors vs screen: 320x200 16 colors
- Internet vs: No Internet
- Advanced HTML5 Web browser with built-in JavaScript programming 
language, vs: No Web browser
- 3GB storage vs: 20MB storage
- Built-in camera vs: No built-in camera

Yes, the poorest can't afford R80/month, but surely even someone of 
relatively modest income could afford that? Also, we're only at the 
start of the smartphone trend, they are still dramatically falling 
in price and becoming more commonplace/popular (the main impediment 
is probably the mess that is the patent system), so I must admit I 
don't think the depiction of the majority lacking access is entirely 
fair, at least regarding South Africa, Internet coverage via the 
mobile networks reaches over 90% of the population already, and with 
several new African under-ocean fiber cable projects and massive 
investments in terrestrial bandwidth infrastructure prices are still 
falling ... imagine what it will be like in just another 10 years. 
(Regarding the gap between haves and have-nots, global income 
inequality has also actually been improving more or less 
consistently for about five decades now, even though it might not 
always feel like it and is 'contrary to popular belief'.)

That said, I hope paper dictionaries never go away entirely. I find 
myself approaching this question from the perspective of a new 
parent, asking myself 'would I prefer my child[ren] growing up in a 
household with paper dictionaries around', and the answer is an 
absolute 'yes' ... I remember also as a child enjoying just browsing 
through dictionaries just for interest, and while you could possibly 
replicate this to some extent in software, I'm not sure you can ever 
do so entirely. But, this may also be partially nostalgia, and 
today's generation grow up in an environment of 'continual 
technological distraction' so they might not find 
dictionary-browsing as interesting.

Also, myself, I rarely consult paper dictionaries nowadays, and if 
so, it's usually for dictionaries that I don't have in 
online/electronic format.

 - David




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