Configuration and File Formats

Q1. What format lexicon data can Lexique Pro display?
Q2. How can I import my lexicon into Lexique Pro?
Q3. Where does Lexique Pro get the words from to build the English index?
Q4. What are paradigm fields?
Q5. What are lexical function fields?
Q6. I have homonyms in my database. When Lexique Pro creates hyperlinks from other entries, how does it decide which of the homonyms to link to?
Q7. I have a couple of words which are homonyms. How can I put a link in each of these entries to go to the other homonym?

Distribution

Q8. The setup program I generate for my lexicon with the Distribution wizard: can I give this freely to anyone?
Q9. Can I put the distributable setup program on my website for people to download?

Sounds, Images, Video and Documents

Q10. How can I get Lexique Pro to play my sound files?
Q11. How can I get Lexique Pro to show pictures?
Q12. My .pcx images are not displayed. Why is this?
Q13. How can I include movie or video files in a lexical entry?
Q14. How can I include links to Word or PDF documents in a lexical entry?

Compatibility

Q15. Are there Linux or Mac versions of Lexique Pro?

Q1. What format lexicon data can Lexique Pro display?

Lexique Pro can read two formats of lexicon database file:

• Text file with recognised standard format markers, or
• XML file in LIFT (Lexicon Interchange FormaT).

Standard format markers are for example:

  \lx abada
  \ps adv
  \ge never
  \gn jamais

  \lx jakuma
  \ps n
  \ge cat
  \gn chat

Different markers are used to indicate part of speech, definition, lexical function, synonym, variant forms, examples, morphology, subentries, cross references, etc.

This is the type of data file generated by the following two programs:

• Toolbox – see The Field Linguist’s Toolbox
• Shoebox – see The Linguist’s Shoebox

By default, Lexique Pro assumes that you are using field markers according to the Multi-Dictionary Formatter (MDF) standards. For more information about MDF, see Making Dictionaries (PDF | 2.3 MB).

If the markers you have chosen to use are not the same as in MDF, you will need to change the settings on the Field Markers page of the Configure Lexicon Wizard.

Q2. How can I import my lexicon into Lexique Pro?

1) On the Lexique Pro main menu, select File > Open…
2) In the Open Lexicon dialog, select your lexicon database file and click Open.
3) If this is first time you have opened the lexicon in Lexique Pro, the Configure Lexicon Wizard will appear. Follow the instructions on each page of the wizard to configure your lexicon.

Q3. Where does Lexique Pro get the words from to build the English index?

1) If the entry contains no \re reversal fields, Lexique Pro takes the English straight from the gloss field (normally \ge). For example:

  \lx bileman
  \ps adj
  \ge red ; brown
  \de red or brown in colour

=> “red” and “brown” appear in the English list.

2) If the entry contains a reversal field \re, Lexique Pro uses this data rather than the gloss field. For example:

  \lx bilen
  \ps v
  \ge to make red ; redden
  \re red, to make ; redden

=> “red, to make” and “redden” appear in the English list.

3) If the reversal field contains an asterisk, \re *, the entry is not included in the reversal.

  \lx abikili

  \ps n  
  \ge type of fish
  \re *

=> this entry does not appear in the English list.

For more information about the relation between gloss, definition and reversal fields in MDF, see Making Dictionaries (PDF | 2.3 MB).

Q4. What are paradigm fields?

Paradigm fields contain different forms of the main lexical entry word, normally sharing the same root or stem. A common example of such a field is the plural form of the noun, marked with \pl. For example:

  \lx mouse
  \ps n
  \pl mice
  \de small rodent

\pl is an example of a standard paradigm field. The marker is defined in the MDF dictionary standards. Fields supported by Lexique Pro include:

If the paradigm field you want is not included in MDF (e.g., Accusative, Diminutive, Nominative Plural), Lexique Pro supports two possible solutions:

1) Go to the Markers page of the Configure Lexicon wizard and select the User-Defined Markers tab. Click the Add Marker button and enter the details of your field – the marker (e.g., \dim) and the label (e.g., Diminutive).

This will allow you to have fields in your database such as:

2) Use the built-in multi-purpose \pdl (Paradigm label) and \pdv (Paradigm form) fields. For example:

  \lx abiki
  \ps n
  \pdl Acc. Sg
  \pdv abikili
  \pdl Dim
  \pdv abikinin
  \ge dog

The first of these solutions is clearly the neater of the two, but the second might be useful if you don’t have many occurrences of a paradigm.

Q5. What are lexical function fields?

Lexical Function fields enable you to link from an entry to lexically-related entries in your dictionary. Two standard lexical function fields are provided in MDF:

For other lexical functions, use the following set of multi-purpose markers:

Two formats are supported:

1) Put both the lexical function label and word in the \lf field, separated by a =. For example:

  \lx kònò
  \ps n
  \ge bird
  \gn oiseau
  \lf Part = jolo
  \le feather
  \ln plume

2) Put the lexical function label in the \lf field, and the word in the \lv field. For example:

  \lx kònò
  \ps n
  \ge bird
  \gn oiseau
  \lf Part
  \lv jolo
  \le feather
  \ln plume

In the above example, we have used the lexical function ‘Part’ to provide a link to ‘feather’ which is a part of the headword ‘bird’.

For a detailed list of suggested lexical functions, see Chapter 7 ‘Relating headwords to their lexical networks’ (pages 121-135) and Appendix D (pages 193-194) of Making Dictionaries (PDF | 2.3 MB). Here is a summary:

Q6. I have homonyms in my database. When Lexique Pro creates hyperlinks from other entries, how does it decide which of the homonyms to link to?

Suppose you have two entries for the same word biki as follows:

  \lx biki
  \hm 1
  \ps n
  \ge bicycle

  \lx biki
  \hm 2
  \ps n
  \ge cookie ; biscuit

Suppose you want to link to one of these entries from another entry (e.g., a synonym link \sy):

  \lx kuki
  \ps n
  \ge cookie ; biscuit
  \sy biki

When Lexique Pro creates a link, which biki will it link to? Unfortunately, it will choose the first entry it finds. But we want it to link to the second biki. So how can we force Lexique Pro to do this?

What we need to do is put a number 2 in the \sy field, so that Lexique Pro knows it should link to the second homonym. For example:

  \lx kuki
  \ps n
  \ge cookie ; biscuit
  \sy biki2               

Note that leaving a space before the number 2 also works:

  \lx kuki
  \ps n
  \ge cookie ; biscuit
  \sy biki 2

The 2 does not get displayed on the screen, but Lexique Pro uses it behind the scenes to make sure your links are as you want them to be.

Q7. I have a couple of words which are homonyms. How can I put a link in each of these entries to go to the other homonym?

Suppose you have a couple of homonyms, meaning whiteman and spider:

  \lx vé'ho'e
  \hm 1
  \ps na
  \ge whiteman

  \lx vé'ho'e
  \hm 2
  \ps na
  \ge spider

To display links from one to the other, use the \lf (Lexical Function) field, specifying Hom (homonym). Include the number 1 at the end to make Lexique Pro jump to the first homonym, or 2 at the end to jump to the second homonym. You can also include a \le field giving a gloss. So, for homonyms to display and be clickable, the entries for whiteman and spider would look like this:

  \lx vé'ho'e
  \hm 1
  \ps na
  \ge whiteman
  \lf Hom = vé'ho'e2
  \le spider

  \lx vé'ho'e
  \hm 2
  \ps na
  \ge spider
  \lf Hom = vé'ho'e1
  \le whiteman

Q8. The setup program I generate for my lexicon with the Distribution wizard: can I give this freely to anyone?

Yes, you can, as long as you are the owner of the data or have permission to distribute the data in this way.

Please do not distribute any of the Lexique Pro program files separately. They must be packaged in the setup program with your data, as created by the Distribution Wizard.

Please ensure that people know how to contact you for support. Since Lexique Pro is a freeware product, we are not able to provide support for everybody you give your data to.

Q9. Can I put the distributable setup program on my website for people to download?

Yes, you can, as long as you are the owner of the data or have permission to distribute the data in this way.

Please ensure that people know how to contact you for support. Since Lexique Pro is a freeware product, we are not able to provide support for everybody you give your data to.

Q10. How can I get Lexique Pro to play my sound files?

Lexique Pro can play .wav and .mp3 audio files.

Pronunciation of lexical entry

To specify a filename for the pronunciation of the main lexical entry, use the \sf marker. (This can be changed in the Field Markers page of the Configure Lexicon wizard).

Examples:

This sound file should contain the pronunciation of the lexical entry. It is played when you click on Pronounce.

Sound file for corresponding example, paradigm or lexical function

To specify a filename for a context-based sound, use the \sfx marker. (This can be changed in the Field Markers page of the Configure Lexicon wizard).

You can associate sound files with examples such as:

\xv Je vais au marché.
\xe I am going to the market.
\sfx c:\my-sounds\market.mp3

…and paradigms:

\pl oxen
\sfx c:\my-sounds\oxen.wav

…and lexical functions:

\lf Ant = heavy
\sfx c:\my-sounds\heavy.mp3

Q11. How can I get Lexique Pro to show pictures?

Lexique Pro can display .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp, .wmf, .tif and .pcx image files.

To include a picture in a lexical entry, specify the filename in the record using the \pc marker. (If you prefer to use something other than \pc, this can be changed in the Field Markers page of the Configuration Lexicon wizard).

Here are some examples of how to include the image house.jpg:

The third of these options is probably the best of the three.

If you are going to distribute the lexicon on the web, try not to use pictures which are very large. Typically, images of 100KB will be sufficient.

Q12. My .pcx, .tif or .wmf images are not displayed. Why is this?

PCX and Windows metafile images were not supported in earlier versions of Lexique Pro, but are now supported in versions 2.6 and above. Please ensure you have the latest version.

Q13. How can I include video files in a lexical entry?

Provided you have a video player installed (e.g., QuickTime Player or Windows Media Player), you can put a link into a lexical entry to play a video clip. Recognised types are .avi and .mov. (If you need access to other file types please let us know.)

In Shoebox/Toolbox, define the following new fields:

Here is an example:

\ff c:\my videos\house-building.avi
\fv So jòli
\fe House building
\fn Construction d'une maison

You do not have to include all the captions \fv, \fe, and \fn, but you should have at least one.

Q14. How can I include links to Word or PDF documents in a lexical entry?

You can put a link into a lexical entry to display a .doc or .pdf file.

In Shoebox/Toolbox, define the following new fields:

Here is an example:

\ff c:\my documents\marriage-traditions.doc
\fv Furusiri laadaw
\fe Marriage traditions
\fn Traditions de mariage

You do not have to include all the captions \fv, \fe, and \fn, but you should have at least one.

Q15. Are there Linux or Mac versions of Lexique Pro?

Lexique Pro is a Windows program. Sorry, there are no plans to develop versions for Linux or Mac OS, although you may be able to run Lexique Pro under Linux and Mac OS using compatibility software such as Wine.

The web page export from Lexique Pro can be viewed with Linux and Mac browsers.