D-square(D-kwadraat)

Digital Databases and Tools for Dutch Dialect Dictionaries

Jos Swanenberg, Folkert de Vriend & Roeland van Hout

Topics

• Historical background

• Overview of project phases

• Conversion procedures

• New encoding for data

• End user access to the data

Volumes

1. Agricultural terminology

2. Other technical or craft terminologies

3. Common vocabulary

Macro structure WBD & WLD

Constituents:- Lexical meaning (title, description of the

concept)- Lexical form (‘dutchified’ entry)- Phonetic form - Sources- Geographical code (+ map)

Micro structure WBD & WLD

WBD & WLDExample of WLD, volume 1:

1960-1980 Filing cards

1985-1995 Word processor, Genoveva

1995-2007 Databases + word proc.

2002 Online database WBD

2003 -2007 D-square

History of automation

WBD & WLD

Filing cards:

WBD & WLDExample of WLD, volume 1:

Online database WBD

www.ru.nl/dialect

Example from database: “Meikever” (Eng: “maybug”)

Example of WBD, volume 3

Online database, query

Online database, query result

Deel IIIMS-Word

Editors

/

Management

Users

Analog Digital Digital Analog

(parts of)Vol. I+IIMS-Word

Filing cards

WebsiteWBD/WLD

with tools forsearching andcartography

EnricheddataXML

Raw dataFileM Pro

Vol. I+IIMacWrite

Questionnaires Nijmegen and

Leuven

Questionnaires (chiefly) Meertens

Raw data

Vol. I + II Vol. III

Edited data

Specializedprint editions (dialect atlas

or local dictionary)

Online DB WBD

(Polderland)

Edited dataXML

Vol. IIIFileM Pro

SGV on CD(Polderland)

Vol. III

1. Conversion to a new format

2. End user access to data

3. Enrichment of data

4. Data management

Overview phases D-square

Phase 1: Conversion to a new format

Reasoning behind new encoding

• XML, not relational database

• Tailored to WBD and WLD

• Flexible enough to be used for other dialect dictionaries

• Based on standard: LMF (ISO TC 37/SC 4)

Example from WBD, meikever

Example from database: “Meikever” (Eng: “maybug”)

Example XML-encoding<LEXICON dialect="Brabants"><ENTRY> <META>

… </META> <CONCEPT lang=“dutch” ontol_id=“492”>Meikever</CONCEPT> <DATA> <VARIANT type=“heteronym”>Bakkertje <VARIANT type=“lexical”>bakkerke

<VARIANT type=“raw” import=“diplomatic”>bakkərkə  <LOCATION source1=“N83”>K 178</LOCATION>

</VARIANT> </VARIANT> </VARIANT> </DATA></ENTRY> …</LEXICON>

Example from WALD

Example from dictionary of the dialects of Zeeland

Phase 2: end user access to data

Small scale survey

- Tools: Search engine, Cartographic tool, Format conversions.

- Enrichment: POS, morphemes (syllables)

- Links to other resources: Other dictionaries, questionnaires, FAND, MAND.

Difficulties to overcome• Search engine

• Getting from question to query (coaching needed). Is SmartMatch (fuzzy matching) helpful in this regard?

• Speed of XML searching

• Cartography

Availability of base maps

• Links to other resources

Differences in interpretation

Information about D-square

www.ru.nl/dialect

Questions?