Re: Designing a language database - issues?

"Neo" <neo55592_at_hotmail.com> wrote:

>> I want to write a dictionary...
>> It will be a bit more complicated than just a simple word list
>> I want to put in grammar and usage also.

>Could you give a small example to further illustrate your project?

Click on a verb root, it shows the various conjugations (at least for regular verbs and most of the important irregular ones). With different tenses.

If a word has different meanings (bow in English with three - bow down before somebody, use a bow and arrow to hunt rabbits, the bow-wave of a ship) - indicate these when the person types in the word. (Just thought of the child's use of "bow-wow" for a dog.

Usage - a direct translation of a word is all very well, but a word in English could have a very different usage in Hungarian, its use in expressions and sayings for example.

Trying to explain points of grammar, rather than just a simple word-for-word correspondance.

That sort of thing. Hungarian doesn't have prepositions, it uses suffixes - i.e. "with a shovel" can't be translated directely. You take the root noun shovel and add a "with" or "instrumental" suffix. Literally, they say, "Shovel-with, I dug a hole", whereas in English, you would say "With a shovel, I dug a hole".

I know much design work depends on what language you are working from and too, but I was just wondering if any work had been done on this at all by any scholars/linguists - whatever?

TIA. Paul...

-- 

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