Eesti keele kui teise keele õppijate hinnangud sõnaseletustele Keeleõppija Sõnaveebis
Learner evaluation of dictionary explanations in Learner’s Sõnaveeb for Estonian as a second language

Summary/Abstract: This article reports on a survey of 55 learners of Estonian as a second language that examined which lexical, morphological, and syntactic features hinder the comprehension of dictionary definitions. Participants evaluated two alternative definitions for 20 headwords from Learner’s Sõnaveeb, one original and one adapted according to learner-oriented principles. The results indicate a preference for compact definitions that avoid excessive use of conjunctions, semantically empty pronouns, and vague or abstract modifiers. Words such as teatud ‘certain’, näiteks ‘for example’, and kindel ‘specific’ were found to reduce clarity. Learners at A2–B1 levels preferred familiar loanwords, whereas no such preference was observed at higher proficiency levels. A morphological analysis showed that the impersonal voice does not significantly impede comprehension, while -des constructions are problematic. From a syntactic perspective, comprehension was facilitated when the headword appeared at the beginning of the definition, whereas dense premodification hindered understanding. Overall, providing sufficiently relevant information proved more important than minimizing definition length.Based on these findings, the principles for compiling definitions in Learner’s Sõnaveeb were revised and applied to both existing entries and new B2-level vocabulary.

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