Created: June 2021 Contact: Ben McIntyre email.ben.mcintyre@gmail.com
You are welcome to submit comments and corrections. Please submit any new information in writing as per format below, so it can just be added. If you are familiar with GitHub workflows, you can fork this repository, edit it and submit a pull request.
| Organisation | Product | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIL | Summer Intitute of Linguistics (SIL) | SIL have nothing less than breathtaking range of tools, and have produced all the major standard linguistic tools. Font/script support, audio cataloguing support, advice and support for language work, it's all there. See below for specific lexographic tools. | |
| Toolbox | Desktop (cross platform) | Toolbox is the classic linguists's tool. It is very old but popular, and many languages have been capured in its text-based file format. SIL encourages use of Flex. | |
| Lexique Pro | Desktop (Windows only) | Lexique Pro is used for formatting processing of dictionaries. It is also quite old and appears to be becoming unsupported as web and document standards move forwards. | |
| Flex (Fieldworks Language Explorer) | Desktop (Windows, experimental linux) | Flex is the most recent replacement for Toolbox and Lexique Pro. It is intended to rapidly acquire words in a field situation, with the ability to store language details. | |
| LanguageForge | Web based + offline (any platform) | LanguageForge is a web based language editor that works on mobile and desktop devices, ideal for collaboration amongst groups. It will allow offline editing and can sync to Flex. | |
| Webonary | Web result using desktop tools (Windows only) | Offers automated upload of language dictionary files to a very basic web dictionary. They have a page conparing them to other projects here. LIFT XML is considered the new standard, and it is recommended (under Data Formats Supported) to convert to this format for maximum cross-compatibility using SOLID and Lexique Pro or preferably Flex. | |
| The LIFT Specification | - | LIFT=Lexicon Markup Language. This link is strictly for XML wonks. The PDF files give good exmples. | |
| AuSIL | - | Australian Society for Indigenous Languages (Australian branch of SIL) - no software but a number of dictionaries and other resources. | |
| Stanford University | Kirrkirr | Desktop (cross platform - Java) | Kirrkirr is quite sophisticated in its viewing, offering media viewing, word games, and a visual network diagram showing word relationships. It's quite old, developed in 2004, but v4.0.3 works fine on Windows after installing Java 11 from here. Being Java based, it should be cross platform (Windows, OSX, Linux). In order to convert dictionaries to work with Kirrkirr, they need to be converted to XML format. The format is much more flexible than LIFT, but it is still not for the faint hearted. I would estimate several weeks of work at least, by someone not afraid to tackle the world of XML, to convert a reasonable sized dictionary. Then there is a further XML creation step necessary to render the dictionary data for the web. |
| Miromaa | Miromaa Software Single user license $AU550, but looks like they can provide cheaply or free for endangered language work. | Desktop (Windows only) | Miromaa advertise that they can create mobile apps and websites with their assistance, but it is not clear how automated this is or what the costs are. It appears that Miromaa uses a custom internal database format, but there is a Toolbox export facility. I have requested a license for academic evaluation of the software and of interoperability with other software. |
| Memrise | Memrise | Web based tools | Commercial app for language learning. You can create your own course: https://memrise.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/360003072498-Course-Creation |
| TshwaneDJe | TLex Suite (TLex+tlTerm+tlCorpus) Academic/Endangered license approx $AU350 | Desktop (cross platform) | TshwaneDJe is commercial language software. It appears to be similar to Miromaa and KirrKirr in form. Export is only to database, text/scv and its own tshwanelexicon XML format. It doesn't appear that any Toolbox or LIFT compatibility exists. |
| Mother Tongues | Mother Tongues | Mobile/Web | Provides an online and mobile dictionary from JSON files containing dictionary contents. Looks fairly straightforward and modern. Academic article around the issues being tackled here, and open source language dictionary codebase here. User interface is cross platform (Web/mobile) and built in Ionic. |
| ACORN (Dan Harvey) | WOLF (Word Oriented Linguistic Framework) | Desktop (cross platform - Java) | Wolf is a desktop based software written in Java. The project looks a bit sketchy (there is a Git repository that is empty apart from the readme and license files. The program appears to be available from the author's personal pages here and also here under downloads, scroll down for WOLF). They say 'WOLF, though being freeware, is not yet open source. However, our intention is to make it so at some point after the software matures'. A very simple web dictionary export is available, example here. It appears that the PDF export does not work. There is an XML export in a custom (but very simple) format. |
| Ronald Sprouse | pglex (A 'pretty good' lexical service) | Web API | pglex is essentially on online dictionary, but instead of providing dictionary web pages viewable in a browser, it provides a JSON web service, where words can be queried by ID or lists of words can be returned in response to a search query. The use case is for an external website that wants the dictionary data for some purpose, but doesn't want to store it in a local database or file. This can also be used to preserve a single-authoritative-location scenario instead of having multiple sites with data stores that may or may not be synchronised |
| Living Languages | Learners Template | Google Doc | Template used as a guide for creating a language learning course |
| Charles Darwin University | Digital Language Shell | Web based | Template for creating an online language learning course, based on their Wordpress templates. |
| Relational Lexicography | RelLex | Research Project | Survey covering peoples experiences in creating dictionaries. Tools used, roles, challenges. May publish a list of Open Source Tools soon. |
| First Voices | First Voices | Web based, can export to Mobile | Very simple dictionary creation. Export dictionary to mobile app with assistance. |