Recommendations on lexicon construction

 

1. Identify and acquire the data resources needed for construction of the lexical database  and, in the second instance, the system lexicon. 
2. Construct a basic wordlist from the available data and decide on intensional and extensional lexical coverage for the lexical database  and the system lexicon. 
3. Design the lexicon database to be acquired so as to maximise the information available for the development of the system lexicon.
4. Consider establishing a UNIX tool library for convenient ASCII format conversion in database construction, transformation and transfer, in addition to using standard database software.
5. Results of the EAGLES Working Group on Computational Lexica should be consulted for the design of lexicon models   and lexical resources for written language; some of the techniques are also applicable to spoken language lexica and lexical databases. 
6. Do not underestimate the time and effort needed for constructing and validating software for lexicon construction and lexical lingware : lexicon construction is labour intensive.
7. If possible, use a commercial database management system (DBMS), and consult Appendix H.

In this area, there is an urgent need for the development of standardised lexicon construction tools and the provision of lexical resources.