How do I write a lexicon for the following words: sand goanna, dog, mosquito, spear, child, man, stone, prickle, and rabbit?
How would I write rules describing the allomorphic variations in the forms of any of the morphemes?
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lexicon?s=t
Lexicons are dictionaries, of sorts. For each of these words, list all its definitions.
I am not familiar enough with the words in the second question to help. Sorry.
Does it matter what kind of dictionary (such as pocket size, trial size, or regular standard) when it comes to dictionaries? Is it alright to use a thesaurus? What type of dictionaries are you talking about like Legal, Business, Law, etc? How many definitions are recommended to be used when writing a lexicon?
To write a lexicon for the given words, you would first need to determine the phonetic transcription and the meanings of each word. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a basic lexicon:
1. Define the phonetic transcriptions: Determine the sounds for each word using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) or any other phonetic transcription system. For example:
- Sand goanna: /sænd ɡoʊˈænə/
- Dog: /dɔɡ/
- Mosquito: /məˈski.toʊ/
- Spear: /spɪər/
- Child: /tʃaɪld/
- Man: /mæn/
- Stone: /stoʊn/
- Prickle: /ˈprɪkəl/
- Rabbit: /ˈræbɪt/
2. Define the meanings: Assign meanings to each word in a concise and clear manner. For example:
- Sand goanna: A type of monitor lizard often found in sandy areas.
- Dog: A domesticated mammal often kept as a pet or used for working purposes.
- Mosquito: An insect known for biting humans and transmitting diseases.
- Spear: A long-range weapon with a sharp point used for hunting or warfare.
- Child: A young human being.
- Man: An adult male human.
- Stone: A hard, solid substance often used for construction or as a decorative material.
- Prickle: A small, pointed structure often found on plants or animal skin.
- Rabbit: A small mammal with long ears and a short tail, often kept as a pet.
To write rules describing the allomorphic variations in the forms of morphemes, you would need to identify any phonetic or morphological changes that occur in specific contexts. For example:
- Final consonant devoicing: In some languages, such as German, final consonants are devoiced. If your lexicon involves a language with this feature, you can write a rule to describe it. For instance, if "stone" is pronounced as /stoʊn/ in most contexts, but as /stoʊn̥/ when followed by a voiceless sound, you could write a rule like:
- /tone/ → [n̥] / __(voiceless)]
- Vowel alternation: Some words may have different forms depending on the surrounding sounds or morphological changes. For example, "child" might take the form "children" in the plural. You can write a rule to indicate this vowel alternation:
- /aɪld/ → /rən/ /_en(past tense)]
These rules are just examples, and the actual rules would depend on the specific linguistic patterns and features you want to capture in your lexicon.