| Picture dictionaries (PDs), with their colorful, stimulating photos and illustrations, are useful motivators in learning English. This study examined twenty PDs published in English speaking countries such as the U.S., England, Australia, and Singapore (EPDs) and ten PDs published in Japan (JPDs). We found that the total number of different words for EPDs was 4,691 and for JPDs, 3,897. The range (how many PDs contain a particular word) was calculated for these words across each corresponding group of PDs. A comparison of these ranges yielded two sets of 250 outstanding words. Finally, these two sets were investigated for their semantic category distribution.
We found that EPDs and JPDs reflect different cultural perspectives and stress different semantic categories. For example, obvious differences in EPDs include 'food' words such as cereal and muffin, while JPDs include miso, curry and rice. EPDs have more words for weather such as lightning and tornado. JPDs reveal a Japanese cultural interest with more 'flower' words such as lily, tulip and violet, and an emphasis on education with more 'school' words such as test, math and recess. Thus, the different PDs offer complimentary pedagogical purposes: a means of describing Japanese culture and learning about other cultures.
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