The Dictionary of the ScotsLanguage (DSL)_________________________________________

Past, Present and Future

Ann FergusonScottish Language Dictionaries

The parent dictionaries

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (DOST) _________________________________________

•Up to 1700

•12 Volumes published 1931-2002

•50,000 entries

The Scottish National Dictionary (SND)

_____________________________________

• Scots lexis and usage from 1700-

• 10 Volumes published 1931-1976

• 27,000 entries

www.dsl.ac.uk

The parent dictionaries

DSL – Phase 2

Content

Categories

Database structure

Some issues

•Variant spellings

•Cross-references

•Links from quotations to bibliographies

Variant spellings

no standardised spelling

+alphabetical listing in print

=conflict

Cross-references

incomplete categorisation of

•parts of speech

•homonym nos

target entry?

89,300, of which 12,600 checked

SND Supplements Project

1976: 1st supplement 4659 entriesnew entries 1545

2005: 2nd supplement 4220 entriesnew entries 277

Unique parents: 5,800

SND Supplements Project

SND Supplements Project

main entry parent + 2nd supplement child

main entry parent + 1st + 2nd supplement children

1st supplement parent + 2nd supplement child

main entry parent + 1st supplement child

…and a few multiple children

Unique parents: 5,800

What next?

Optimising the resource

1. Enhanced search capabilities

2. Integration of wider information about Scots

Enhanced search

1. DOST supplement integration

2. Cross-references to ‘preceding’ and ‘next’

3. Search by date

4. Search by part of speech

DOST supplement integration

Mirror of current SND supplements project

2,000+ supplementary entries

Cross-references

2,800 printed references to:

• preceding• next• following• above• …etc

Search by date

Search for words by date of use

Many quotations currently not dated

Populate date field automatically/manually

Search by part of speech

Search for headwords by part of speech

4000 entries lack encoded part of speech

Populate pos field automatically/manually

Integrate Scots info

• Links from entries to The Scots Language

• Links from History of Scots to entries

The language of definitions

• [based on work by Pauline Cairns Speitel, Scottish Language Dictionaries]

• Person with learning difficulties; a silly person

• Or…– ‘an imbecile, one who is slightly deranged

mentally; a fool’ (daftie)– ‘a simpleton, a half-wit’ (dowt)– ‘a fool, a simpleton’ (gomach)– ‘a weak-minded, timid or effeminate person, a

simpleton, noodle’ (saftie)

The language of definitions (2)

Women

appearance or lack of cleanliness:

‘a female of slovenly habits, a slattern’ (skleutch)

‘a strumpet’ (scalpour)

‘a term of abuse for a lazy, loutish person, a loafer, a slattern, a drab’ (laidron)

The language of definitions (3)

Windbags…

‘a boaster, braggart, windbag; stupid person’ (blicker)

‘a chatterbox, someone who talks interminably in an affected manner, a windbag’ (yap)

Questions?

www.dsl.ac.uk