Lexical data browser help

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Concepts

Languages

• The language whose vocabulary is being explored is called the vernacular.
• The data is organized as a bilingual dictionary. It provides translation equivalents with reference to a second language: usually a researcher's language (e.g. English, French, German).
• An index of glosses in a national language (e.g. French, Portuguese, Spanish) is sometimes provided. In some cases, the entire set of lexical data is presented from the point of view of a national audience.

Audiences

Dictionary

The dictionary is displayed in the frames at the left. When you click a link to a vernacular word, the browser jumps to (i.e. displays) its dictionary entry.

Index

• Gloss (i.e. translation equivalent)
• Lexical relation
• Part of speech

Indexes are organized in two ways:

1. By letters of the alphabet. For example, in a gloss index (also known as a "finderlist") the data for each letter is contained in a separate web page.
2. By indexing categories. For example, the data for each part of speech (e.g. adj, n, v) is contained in a separate web page. Within each category, words are in alphabetic order.

Please note that index has three different senses in this lexical data browser:

1. an index to lexical data (i.e. the sense defined here, sometimes called a "reversed" index)
2. Help index
3. the file name of the main web page in a folder (on a web server)

Formatting of entries

• The vernacular language is displayed in bold font style. (Exceptions: search boxes and letters of the alphabet in upper frames.)
• The primary audience's language is displayed in regular font style.
• The national language is displayed in regular font style. (Exception: in the dictionary when it isn't the primary audience; then it is displayed in italic font style.)
• Hypertext links are usually underlined and displayed in a different color (their exact formatting depends on options in your browser).
• Part of speech is displayed in italic font style.
• Labels (including lexical relations) are displayed in a sans-serif font.

Example of a dictionary entry:

lexeme

ps. definition of lexeme. Example of its use. Translation of example (for the primary audience).

Example of an index entry:

gloss

ps.

lexeme

Frames in the browser

• The dictionary is at the left.
• An index is at the right.
• The lower frames display data.
• The upper frames contain options for navigating through the data.

1. Use the upper-left frame to search for words in the dictionary and to change the letter of the alphabet.
2. The lower-left frame displays the dictionary entries for one letter of the alphabet at a time. When you jump to a word by clicking a link in the data, the dictionary entry for that word is displayed in this frame.
3. Use the upper-right frame to select the kind of index and to search for words in it. Some kinds of indexes (e.g. gloss) let you change the letter of the alphabet, other kinds (e.g. part of speech) let you select the indexing category (e.g. adj, n, v) instead.
4. The lower-right frame displays the index entries for one letter of the alphabet or for one indexing category at a time.

Links in the data

• Most links are cross-references to the dictionary. When you click a link to a vernacular word, either in the dictionary or in an index, the browser jumps to (i.e. displays) its dictionary entry (in the lower-left frame).
• Letters of the alphabet are special links. When you click a letter (in the upper frame), the browser displays all the entries that begin with it (in the lower frame).

Lexical relations

In the dictionary, lexical relations are cross-references that link a lexeme to words and phrases with which a native speaker associates it. The lexeme is called the head. The relations in which it participates are formatted as labels. The lexemes with which it correlates are called values. For example:

huma

n. house. Part: subu 'door'.

subu

n. door. Whole: huma 'house'.

If there are lexical relations in the data, there will be three indexes: head, relation, and value. For example, an index by the heads of lexical relations:

huma	Part:	subu
subu	Whole:	huma

Procedures

Search for words

See also: Find

Change the letter of the alphabet

In the dictionary and in some of the indexes (e.g. gloss), the lower frame displays one letter of the alphabet at a time (i.e. the data for each letter is contained in a separate web page). In this case, the upper frame contains links to each letter that can occur at the beginning of words. Click the letter of the alphabet that you want to see.

Jump to a word in the dictionary

When you click a link to a vernacular word, the browser "jumps" to its dictionary entry (i.e. displays the entry in the lower-left frame).

Tip: To return to dictionary entries that had been displayed earlier, click your browser's Back button.

Limitation: The browser doesn't notify you if a link isn't connected to a word in the dictionary.

Select the kind of index

Select the indexing category

Browser

Browser versions

These browsers implement features that the lexical data browser requires: cascading style sheets, downloadable fonts, frames, and JavaScript.

Browser options (preferences)

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Find

See also: Search for words, Change the letter of the alphabet

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