What is a subentry in a lexical database?

A subentry is a unit in the lexical database representing a lexeme that is made up of more than one morpheme, and is lexically related to one or more major entries.

While related to the major entry(s), the subentry contains its own phonological, semantic, grammatical, and anthropological information. The subentry usually has a meaning that is greater than the sum of its component morphemes.

• Derivatives (derived forms)
• Compounds
• Idioms
• Phrase equivalents for key terms for translation
• Sayings
• Phrasal verbs

The subentry inadangyan is a derivative of the major entry adangyan, which is shown below. The form inadangyan appears as a cross reference in the major entry and also as its own entry.

Subentries are not

• homophonous forms
• minimal pairs, or
• other interesting bits of information not closely related structurally to the main entry.

Context for this page:

• Concept module: subentry in a lexical database
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): S
• In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
• In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

© 2004 SIL International