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Old 19-Mar-2008, 00:09
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Default Re: problems with bilingual dictionaries

"Insufficient" is probably correct, but it's more a matter of dictionary users understanding the limitations and the intended purpose of a dictionary. Unless you have an enormous dictionary, like the Oxford English Dictionary, it is effectively impossible to provide many examples of usage. Since the context in which a word is used will almost always determine which word is best-suited for that particular situation, looking for examples of usage is important. However, dictionaries can provide assistance by giving words to search for. So that, for example, if I want to know which Hindi word I should use in saying "Free food", my dictionary has given my a range of words that I can search for, and that will help me use the word that means "without cost" instread of a word that means "liberate".
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