摘要:
电子词典是现代外语学习者常用的重要工具，在外语词汇习得中起着积极的作用。国外的研究者从多个角度探讨了电子词典在外语词汇学习中的作用，并取得了丰富的研究成果。本文对这些实证研究进行评述，介绍其研究方法、研究结果，并指出尚存的不足和有待研究的方向，一方面能为电子词典的编撰提供实证支持，同时也有助于外语教师指导学习者正确的使用电子词典，以提高其自主学习效率。
Abstract: With the development of computer technology and its application in foreign language teaching, electronic dictionaries have become an indispensable tool for many language learners. There have been a wealth of studies examining the roles of electronic dictionaries in foreign language voca-bulary acquisition, focusing mainly on the following issues: comparison of the effects of electronic dictionaries and paper dictionaries on foreign language vocabulary acquisition, the influences of different modes of dictionary information on the acquisition of new words, foreign language learners’ lookup preferences while using electronic dictionaries, and how to develop appropriate learning tasks to induce foreign language learners’ deep processing of the information provided by electronic dictionaries. The present paper reviews studies probing into the roles of electronic dictionaries in foreign language vocabulary learning, introducing the research methods adopted, findings obtained, as well as potential research issues in this area. It is hoped that the study might shed some light on the development of electronic dictionaries and offer help to foreign language teachers in guiding the students to use electronic dictionaries more effectively.