Will Electronic Dictionaries Kill Printed Dictionaries
Many people today prefer to use electronic dictionaries rather than printed ones, because electronic dictionaries are much lighter and smaller and easier to be taken everywhere. Some people worry that printed dictionaries may disappear one day. But I believe that electronic dictionaries will not kill printed ones.
First, printed dictionaries are much cheaper than the electronic ones. Many students, who use dictionaries most often, can hardly afford an expensive electronic dictionary. Therefore, the printed ones are exactly what they need. Second, scholars prefer printed dictionaries to electronic ones. Holding a thick, heavy dictionary is what a teacher used to do, and I believe that they will like to keep this habit. Third, only the printed dictionaries can be colleted into libraries or be put on our private bookshelves. We may use an electronic dictionary very often, but we will never collect it, since it's designed to be used, not to be collected.
Of course electronic dictionaries will be more popular in the future, because they are really convenient. But the printed ones are still needed and will not be replaced. The two kinds of dictionaries are just complementary to each other.