The Linguist's Shoebox
Integrated data management and analysis for the field linguist
MDF changes
The Multi-Dictionary Formatter (MDF) is now built into Shoebox. It is compatible with existing MDF lexical databases. However, it does not use the auxiliary programs and other files (change tables, answer files, stylesheets, etc.) from previous versions. The changes to MDF include taking advantage of fonts on Windows and Macintosh computers, integrating more closely with Shoebox, and removing complications caused by limitations in the size of exported document files. The following information supersedes Appendix F of Making Dictionaries.
Data field markers
One marker has been removed from the Multi-Dictionary Formatter and six new markers have been added. The MDF.typ database type file defines about 100 markers for lexical data fields. Having the markers already defined saves you the effort and helps you enter data consistently (especially if you define Shoebox data properties, range sets, and data links). Being able to customize the marker properties gives you flexibility—in fact, you can even add new markers (although MDF will ignore them when formatting your dictionary). For more information, read about Shoebox settings files on pages 113–152 in the Shoebox Tutorial.
The \xg marker has been removed. Previous versions of MDF had reserved it for interlinear glossing of example sentences. Because this function was never fully developed, MDF now considers \xg to be an unknown data field.
The \lv marker has been added for the value of a lexical function. Previous versions of MDF had required you to combine the label and the value in a single data field (e.g., \lf Gen = agat). Data entry was awkward if the vernacular value required a different font. When you enter the label in the \lf field and the value in the \lv field, their language encodings determine the appropriate fonts. If you define a range set for \lf and a data link for \lv, Shoebox can help you enter data more consistently. You can explore the meaning of lexemes within their culturally associated relationships by using \lf and \lv for sorting, filtering, and browsing. Here is a simple lexical database record that contains data fields for lexical functions and the corresponding dictionary entry:
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feten n. foxtail millet. Gen: agat 'grain'. |
The \pdl, \pdv, \pde, \pdn, and \pdr markers have been added for generalized grammatical paradigms. Previous versions of MDF have provided some specialized markers (e.g., \pl for plural). Most researchers found this limited set inadequate to enter the exceptions for lexemes with irregular inflected forms or incomplete paradigms. If you define a range set of categories (e.g., Comp, Super, PastPart) for \pdl, you get both flexibility and consistency. You can now enter glosses for the vernacular paradigm forms. Here is a simple lexical database record that contains data fields for grammatical paradigms and the corresponding dictionary entry:
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bueno adj. good. Comp: mejor 'better'. |
Export processes
Shoebox includes the Multi-Dictionary Formatter as a type of export process (on the File menu, click Export). You select the options for printing your lexical database as a dictionary or gloss index (finderlist) using the visual user interface within Shoebox. You can customize the default MDF process and define additional export processes for specific purposes. The MDF.typ file contains the export properties.
Here are some of the new features in MDF:
- Checking the consistency of the lexical data before exporting it
- Filtering the records that are exported from the lexical database (e.g., to publish topically-oriented volumes)
- National audience labels for English, French, German, Indonesian, Portuguese, and Spanish
- National audience document template (especially useful for controlling the italic font style in dictionaries)
- Regional gloss index (finderlist) using the \gr and \rr data fields
- Option whether or not to include regional with national in dictionaries, when the Audience and Format options cause national language fields to be included
For more information: In Shoebox Help, search for Multi-Dictionary Formatter. If you have installed previous versions of Shoebox and MDF, see MDF Release Notes.
Language encodings
In previous versions of the Multi-Dictionary Formatter, the association between markers and languages had been implicit. In Shoebox, it is explicit—the properties of each marker include a language encoding (on the Database menu, click Properties). The tables of MDF data field markers in alphabetical and exported order include the associated languages. The MDF settings files include generic language encodings vernacular, national, regional that you can customize for the specific languages in your lexical database (e.g., Indonesian, Ambonese Malay, and Selaru). Note that there are two new language encodings: Date for the \dt field and phonetic for the \ph field.
The association between markers, languages, and character styles in the MDF document templates for Microsoft Word is also more explicit now. Although the templates contain dozens of character styles, most of them are based on one of the four basic language styles: vernacular, national, regional, and English.
Here are some language encoding issues that are significant for dictionary making:
- MDF now depends on Shoebox for sorting. Shoebox uses the sort orders that you have defined in the appropriate language encodings for the vernacular lexeme and the English, national, and regional glosses. Shoebox also uses \hm as a secondary sorting field to ensure that homonyms are ordered correctly. Therefore, the redundant sorting information that had been required by previous versions of MDF has been eliminated.
- By default, Shoebox sorts hyphenated forms after the corresponding non-hyphenated forms. Be aware that there are at least two different conventions for hyphens in lexemes: in Making Dictionaries, bound morphemes have hyphens but in the Shoebox Tutorial, affixes have hyphens.
- MDF now uses the case associations that you have defined in the appropriate language encodings for the section headings in dictionaries (and finderlists). Therefore, the redundant uppercase-lowercase information that had been required by previous versions of MDF has been eliminated.
- Because you define font formatting in Shoebox and Microsoft Word separately, you can select the best visual appearance for the computer screen and for the printed page, without any need to compromise. By default, Shoebox uses the fonts that you have defined in the language encodings. However, you can define specific font formatting for individual markers (e.g., italic font style for the \ps field).