Ordboksanvändning på nätet. En undersökning av användningen av Lexins svenska lexikon.

Abstract

In this thesis a study of the use and users of the Swedish online, monolingual, learner’s dictionary Lexins svenska lexikon, LSL, is presented. The target group of LSL is learners at a relatively advanced beginner’s level. In 2008–2011, the LSL underwent a comprehensive revision and the study is based on data from before (LSL3) and after (LSL4) the revision. The thesis has a threefold aim, namely to 1) investigate the use of LSL, 2) find out who the users of LSL are, and 3) take a closer look at individual informant’s search behaviour. This, in turn, forms the basis for three sub studies. A general question to be answered is whether the LSL is actually used by the dictionary’s target group and if so, how? In sub study 1 the use of LSL is examined by means of a log file analysis which produces a general view of the users’ most frequent look-ups. The data from before (i.e. 2008) and after (i.e. 2011) the revision are strikingly different. For example, the 2011 data contains more central and common Swedish words than the 2008 data. The users of LSL4 appear, to a greater extent, to belong to the target group of LSL, than the users of LSL3. In sub study 2 a web questionnaire survey is used to find out information about the users of LSL which results in an important, though generalized, user profile. Evidently, both LSL3 and LSL4 are used by the target group, but, to judge from the two sets of questionnaire data, to a greater extent in the updated version of LSL, i.e. LSL4. Lastly, in sub study 3 log file data and questionnaire data are triangulated which made it possible to observe more closely individual target group informants and their dictionary activities. This qualitative study results in yet another picture of the use of LSL. To sum up, combining methods and triangulating data seem to have resulted in a more complete and balanced picture of the use of LSL.