A
Monolingual learner's dictionary (or
MLD) is a type of
dictionary designed to meet the reference needs of people learning a
foreign language. MLDs are based on the premise that language-learners should progress from a
bilingual dictionary to a monolingual one as they become more proficient in their
target language, but that general-purpose dictionaries (aimed at
native speakers) are inappropriate for their needs. Dictionaries for learners include information on
grammar,
usage, common errors,
collocation, and
pragmatics, which is largely missing from standard dictionaries, because native speakers tend to know these aspects of language intuitively. And while the
definitions in standard dictionaries are often written in difficult language, those in a monolingual learner’s dictionary aim to be simple and accessible.