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Advances in Synchronized XML-Mediawiki Dictionary Development in the Context of Endangered Uralic Languages

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Advances in Synchronized XML-Mediawiki Dictionary Development in the Context of Endangered Uralic Languages View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto LEXICOGRAPHY IN GLOBAL CONTEXTS 967 Advances in Synchronized XML-MediaWiki Dictionary Development in the Context of Endangered Uralic Languages Mika Hämäläinen, Jack Rueter Department of Digital Humanities, University of Helsinki E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract We present our ongoing development of a synchronized XML-MediaWiki dictionary to solve the problem of XML dictionaries in the context of small Uralic languages. XML is good at representing structured data, but it does not fare well in a situation where multiple users are editing the dictionary simultaneously. Furthermore, XML is overly complicated for non-technical users due to its strict syntax that has to be maintained valid at all times. Our system solves these problems by making a synchronized editing of the same dictionary data possible both in a MediaWiki environment and XML files in an easy fashion. In addition, we describe how the dictionary knowledge in the MediaWiki-based dictionary can be enhanced by an additional Semantic Me- diaWiki layer for more effective searches in the data. In addition, an API access to the lexical information in the dictionary and morphological tools in the form of an open source Python library is presented. Keywords: online dictionary, collaborative editing of XML, Semantic MediaWiki dictionary 1 Introduction In this paper, we present advances in the development of our open-source synchronized XML-Me- diaWiki dictionary environment1 (Rueter & Hämäläinen 2017). The dictionary data consists of mul- tiple XML dictionaries for small Uralic languages2 following the same XML structure. XML diction- aries are used on the Giellatekno infrastructure (Trosterud, Moshagen & Pirinen 2013) for many dis- tinct facets of linguistic research such as Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) (Antonsen et al. 2014), FST generation for morphological analyzers and spellcheckers. XML is a great format for storing structural data, such as information usually stored in a dictionary. It does, however, have some drawbacks, such as editing XML data in a collaborative fashion is a challenging task. This is even more so in the case of non-technical people native in endangered Uralic languages. In order to enable them to produce and correct dictionary resources, a simplified way to edit XML data is needed. We have thus developed a MediaWiki-based online dictionary system, the purpose of which is to make it possible to edit structural dictionary data collaboratively with a simplified interface. The dic- tionary works in such a way that we can get the edits instantly in our XML formalism, and edits made directly in the XMLs are also updated to the MediaWiki. 1 Available on https://sanat.csc.fi/ 2 The languages currently supported in the dictionary are Skolt Sami, Ingrian, Meadow Mari, Votic, Olonets-Karelian, Erzya, Moksha, Hill Mari, Udmurt, Tundra Nenets and Komi-Permyak 968 PROCEEDINGS OF THE XVIII EURALEX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS 2 Related Work This section presents some of the previous research done in the context of online dictionaries. The previous work ranges from theoretical takes on online dictionaries to actual online systems imple- mented for the task. In a meta-analysis of studies on the usage of electronical dictionaries (Töpel 2014), several advantages in electronical dictionaries were identified. A positive impact on speed, performance, ease of use, vocabulary retention and satisfaction were reported in a dictionary use situation. The XML structures of this project are compatible with and, where possible, identical to those used by the dictionaries in the Giellatekno infrastructure, where local enhancement provides the availa- bility of special glyphs for assistance in individual language input, links to corpora search in Giel- latekno-hosted Korp, as well as grammatical links for the enlightenment of the lay user3. Whereas the Giellatekno dictionaries provide for dictionary users without specific keyboards for the individ- ual languages, we require our users to have keyboards of their own4. Pointer data in our XML and MediaWiki interfaces allow us to open individual page links to the etymological database for Sami languages (Álgu-tietokanta 2002). Uralic language databases are the target of continuous development in Estonia. This can be observed in the outline of Estonian and Uralic language archive materials in Tallinn and Tartu (Viikberg 2008), and subsequent mention of work on Estonian-Mari and Estonian-Erzya dictionaries at EKI (Eesti Keele Instituut [Estonian Language Institute]) in EELEX (Tender et al. 2017). Similar bilingual dic- tionary development with audio resources are described for Võro-Estonian (Männamaa & Iva 2015). The Dictionary of Old Norse Prose (ONP) (Johannsson & Battista 2017) has implemented multiple search and presentation features. It strives towards an online tool with enhanced corpus search and allows for presentation of manuscript and archive materials, as well as individuated download possi- bilities. In our project, however, we retain a light structure with synchronic editing for XML and Me- diaWiki. The XMLs contain a set of hand-selected example sentences from corpora to be displayed to the user in the online dictionary. However, our system has not been linked to full corpora for example sentence extraction. The role of e-lexicography is growing. Not only is the detail required for the conversion from printed dictionaries to digital format being examined, but investigations are also being made of the feasible saturation of data presentation. E-lexicography allows for the introduction of new tools, and is seen as an opportunity to provide direct data extraction from various data sources (Bothma, Gouws & Prinsloo 2017). Our MediaWiki presentation involves three dimensions of linking. It includes links to external datasets (etymology and audio), other languages in the internal dataset (definitions, ety- mology), and dictionary internal links between articles (compound word constituents and derivation stems). We also generate regular paradigmatic tables for viewing while retaining a view of lemma, native definition, translation and morphologically important category information on the screen. 3 Giellatekno online morphologically savvy dictionaries with click-in-text readers and possible Korp links are available at: http:// sanit.oahpa.no/ (North Sami), http://baakoeh.oahpa.no/ (South Sami), http://saanih.oahpa.no/ (Inari Sami), http://saan.oahpa.no/ (Skolt Sami), http://sanat.oahpa.no/ (Northern Balto-Finnic languages), http://sonad.oahpa.no/ (Southern Balto-Finnic languages), http://valks.oahpa.no/ (Mordvin languages), http://muter.oahpa.no/ (Mari languages), http://kyv.oahpa.no/ (Permic languages), and http://vada.oahpa.no/ (Nenets). 4 The necessary keyboards for most Uralic languages are produced for Windows, Mac and Android and available at http://divvun. no/ for Saamic languages, and analogical keyboards for other languages can be generated directly in the Giellatekno infrastructure. LEXICOGRAPHY IN GLOBAL CONTEXTS 969 3 The XML Dictionaries The XML dictionaries draw upon the goal of minimizing data redundancy in diff erent branches of an extended infrastructure at Giellatekno (Trosterud, Moshagen & Pirinen 2013). Original paral- lel sources existing for online morphologically savvy translation dictionaries, on the one hand, and minimal sized ICALL dictionaries, on the other, have been integrated with lemma:stem pair data utilized in transducer production. Subsequently, other research data has been incorporated into the XML structure as well, such as audio pointers, and etymological as well as derivational informa- tion partially inherited from previous language projects. Thus, while the dictionaries can be used through XSL transformation to provide code output (lexc) for the construction of transducers used in fi nite-state morphological analyzers and spell checkers, they also serve as extensive databases for other research projects. The distinction between source and target languages is maintained utilizing ISO 639-3 three-letter codes, which can be attested in the XML root element as well as the translation group <tg/>, example group <xg/>, etymon and cognate elements. The translation dictionaries were originally set up as source-to-target, bi-lingual dictionaries. In word entries with broader semantic coverage, granularity has been introduced. This allows for multiple translations in the instance of semantically close defi nitions <t/>, and separate meaning groups <mg/> for distinct senses of a word. Contextual usage is demonstrated in Figure 1, which shows translation groups within the semantically appropriate meaning group. The Giellatekno dictionaries based on this XML structure are available and undergoing continuous development within the Giellatekno infrastructure. Figure 1: XML entry Figure 1: XML entry Optional enhancement of the underlying lemma (e/lg/l), stem (e/lg/stg/st) and infl ection (e/lg/stg/ st@Contlex) dictionaries can be observed in the etymon and audio pointers, as well as the deriva- tion (e/lg/compg), translation (e/mg/tg) and example (e/mg/xg) groups. While the lemma, stem and continuation lexica data serve as vital information in tranducer development, etymology, audio and compounding pointers provide for navigation between and within dictionaries. The etymon pointer 970 PROCEEDINGS OF THE XVIII
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