1. A method of facilitating computer-assisted comprehension of digitally encoded texts comprising: providing a user of a data processing system access to a plurality of dictionary databases; associating at least one content category with each dictionary database; responsive to an indication by the user, associating at least one predetermined marking with each of the plurality of dictionary databases; identifying at least one text portion marked by the user with a first marking; identifying at least one additional text portion marked by the user with a second marking, the second marking being different from the first marking, the at least one text portion and the at least one additional text portion being part of a same digitally encoded text; identifying one or more dictionary databases associated with the first marking; determining a subset of dictionary database(s) from the one or more dictionary databases identified as being associated with the first marking, each dictionary database in the subset having a content category that corresponds to the at least one text portion; identifying one or more dictionary databases associated with the second marking; initiating a searching process comprising performing a first search of the at least one text portion within the subset of dictionary database(s) and performing a second search of the at least one additional text portion within the one or more dictionary databases associated with the second marking; and providing the results of the first and second searches to the user in a consolidated format.
1. A method of facilitating computer-assisted comprehension of digitally encoded texts comprising: providing a user of a data processing system access to a plurality of dictionary databases; associating at least one content category with each dictionary database; responsive to an indication by the user, associating at least one predetermined marking with each of the plurality of dictionary databases; identifying at least one text portion marked by the user with a first marking; identifying at least one additional text portion marked by the user with a second marking, the second marking being different from the first marking, the at least one text portion and the at least one additional text portion being part of a same digitally encoded text; identifying one or more dictionary databases associated with the first marking; determining a subset of dictionary database(s) from the one or more dictionary databases identified as being associated with the first marking, each dictionary database in the subset having a content category that corresponds to the at least one text portion; identifying one or more dictionary databases associated with the second marking; initiating a searching process comprising performing a first search of the at least one text portion within the subset of dictionary database(s) and performing a second search of the at least one additional text portion within the one or more dictionary databases associated with the second marking; and providing the results of the first and second searches to the user in a consolidated format. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the text portions comprise single words.