Dear Subscriber,
Happy New Year!

This month’s newsletter features updates on kasahorow and a brief discussion on our dictionary compilation methodology.

Best wishes,
Paa Kwesi Imbeah
kasahorow Editor




Dictionary Compilation Methodology

The kasahorow infrastructure for compiling web-based dictionaries is designed to support monolingual dictionaries with optional linking to other languages by means of synonyms. [1] We are now opening up the infrastructure for anyone interested in maintaining a publicly accessible, online dictionary for their language.

All varieties of a language are welcome, not only “standard varieties.” Our disinterest in a “standard” means that conventions such as tone-marking, where it wildly differs between varieties, will either be:

1. left out of the entry, or

2. each different variety will be entered as a separate entry, each of which will list the others as varieties.

This is about our only unbendable rule. For more answers to frequently asked questions please see http://kasahorow.com/en/faqs/dictionary.

To get started on a new dictionary, we encourage new editors to use the following process, in order of decreasing priority:

1. Enumerate the complete grammar of word-classes (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) in the language (time commitment: 1 day with good reference material)

2. Enumerate a complete list of the closed class words (words that serve a function, such as determiners, prepositions, and conjunctions) (2 days with good reference material)

3. Catalog the open class words (words that have a meaning, such as boy, run, beautiful, etc.) (a lifelong quest).

We can help you at stage 3 by finding you new words from texts that are available on the web or in digital format.

For a list of FAQs on the dictionary, visit http://kasahorow.com/en/faqs/dictionary.

Interested in starting a new dictionary? Simply email kasahorow@suuch.com to get yours set up. Don't worry if your language has special keyboard needs. We have our ways and means of making online entry painless for African languages!

Tutorial for Entering and Editing Dictionary Entries

We have developed a tutorial to help users add entries to existing and new dictionaries. The tutorial walks you step by step through the entire process, and is available at http://kasahorow.com/en/node/106.




[1]
For example, the kasahorow Akan dictionary has fields for:
• Akan word or phrase (mandatory)
• Akan headword from which the word or phrase is derived
• Akan variants (Twi, Fanti)
• Unique part of speech
• Akan meaning
• Akan examples
• Field notes.

Connections can be made to other languages, say English and Swahili, by enumerating a list of synonyms in those languages while composing an Akan entry. These synonyms are automatically linked to their corresponding entries in the English and Swahili dictionaries. If the Swahili synonyms, for example, do not yet exist in the Swahili dictionary, new entries are created to be approved by the Swahili dictionary editor next time he/she logs into his/her account. The Akan entry will still show the unedited Swahili synonyms as added by the Akan editor but there will be no links to the entries until they have been reviewed by the Swahili editor.