A Dictionary for Everyone
Before I put any more hours into this, I'm going to unveil a little project I started because of something Darsi mentioned.
I've put up a wiki as an editable "English-Esperanto Dictionary,"
One reason I did this is that I have more than a half dozen resources at the top of my browser window which I use when I'm looking for one of the more out of the way words, that aren't usually in dictionaries. This puts my findings in one place, and I can access in anywhere there's internet access.
It's a little sparse right now. However, it could, (after much man hours of labor) become a pretty comprehensive English-Esperanto dictionary, which could easily be added to and corrected as it goes along.
If nothing else, I'll keep it up as a resource for me, but if anyone has the desire to help out, you're all welcome.
"Editable English-Esperanto Dictionary,"
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Comments
Dictionaries and democracy
I am not a fan of online English-Esperanto dictionaries.
They are often cumbersome to use and I mistrust the information I get.
A good online dictionary would have the following info for the entry under 'trivet':
PIV: no equivalent
Benson: tripiedeto
Fulcher and Long: (whatever F&L says)
Wells: (whatever Wells says)
Most used: tripiedeto
Other possibilities: izolplato, etc.
I could even live without all that information, except the 'Most Used' category. All the rest of the information is easily available - it would just be dog work to enter it online. I usually have access to the other dictionaries anyway.
However, the 'Most Used' category is critical. Wells' dictionary was highly prized because it was based on his years of experience in the Esperanto movement, where he learned which definitions were Most Used. Benson's dictionary has been highly criticized for depending too much on PIV definitions and not enough on definitions that are Most Used in Esperantujo.
In the world of paper dictionaries, the 'Komputeko' of E@I suffers in this regard. The author has collected data from three or four computer-related dictionaries, and presents it all, without identifying the Most Used definition.
Of course, online dictionaries could be complied on a 'majority rules' basis - that is, everyone who is interested could vote for their favorite definition of a word. So 'trivet' could have five or six Esperanto definitions, each with a number after it - the number of votes that definition got. Over time, the numbers would change, to reflect changes in usage.
In such a dictionary, many English words would would have a '1' after each esperanto equivalent, meaning that only one person chose that definition. That information would still be useful.
April 26, 2009 by vilcxjo-me, 46 weeks 4 days ago
I wondered the same thing:
I wondered the same thing: Both Sonja's dictionary and ReVo have facilities for contributing new words (Sonja's also offers the ability to request a new word). So why not contribute to those dictionaries?
April 24, 2009 by kvarko, 46 weeks 6 days ago
It's probably from
a bit of frustration. I asked Sonja for a word for 'trivet', but not referring to a tripod. 'Trivet' is also the English term for a ceramic, wood, metal, etc. plate, usually square that is used to set hot pots and such on to keep the kitchen counter or table from being scorched.
I also consulted the Tradukado email list and got all kinds of far out replies. After a few months or consideration, I figured out that the best term in Esperanto would be 'izolplato', 'izolmato' or even 'izolumo.'
The Hejma Vortaro has an entry, 'izolganto' for 'ovenglove', so I figure I'm in the right area. Meanwhile, Sonja has put 'tripiedo' as the only meaning for 'trivet', not even addressing the meaning I was interested in. ;-)
The Wictionary has 'trivet' in English, (meaning 2 mostly applies, though the trivets I've seen mostly have cork bottoms and not feet,) but there's no Esperanto equivalent. ;-)
Also, I just want a simple to use, English Esperanto dictionary, not an all inclusive 'everything you ever wanted to know about a word' type of project. Quite often, if none of my paper dictionaries is not at hand, I first try Esperanto Panorama: http://esperanto-panorama.net/vortaro/eoen.htm and check the result in ReVo, if I'm suspicious. Usually I'm just being reminded of the correct word that isn't coming to the fore in my wee brain. ;-)
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http://vortoj.wiki-site.com
April 24, 2009 by NJ_Esperantist, 46 weeks 6 days ago
"trivet"
Interesting question. In my vocabulary, a trivet is only the thing you put on a table to protect it from a hot pot or serving dish . . . I have no mental concept of it being equivalent to a "tripod" of some sort.
"Izolplato" seems clear enough; so would "ŝirmplato", I think . . . In my experience a trivet is usually either a tile of some sort, supported on feet, or a piece of metal with cut-outs for air circulation--there's no single more specific word I can think of that would encompass both of those forms. In context, something like "varmŝirmilo" (or maybe "tabloŝirmilo") could work.
Another possibility would be "platform-o" (not "plat-form-o") . . . essentially that's what it is, regardless of the reason for use.
Lee
April 24, 2009 by Lee Miller, 46 weeks 6 days ago
I applaud your work, but why
I applaud your work, but why not use the Wikipedia Vikivortaro project (Esperanto "Wiktionary") at http://eo.wiktionary.org ? It is already established with over 2000 words, but it has not seen much love lately.
Just a thought, since yours seemed to be an independent Wiki-project which was doing essentially the same thing.
April 23, 2009 by Yekrats, 47 weeks 7 hours ago
Wictionary doesn't seem friendly
at least not to me. The front page doesn't look like a dictionary, but more like an instruction manual. I typed in the word 'bird' in the search box and didn't find the Esperanto word for bird, I got links to a bunch of stuff. It's almost like Wictionary is trying to do too much by trying to be a dictionary for all languages (or at least a lot of them. If it was in the format of the Universala Vortaro, that might even work. One word I looked up referred me to ReVo for the definition. Pretty much, if I want a word defined in Esperanto, I'll just go to ReVo. If you're an editor of Wictionary, I apologize.
Dave
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http://vortoj.wiki-site.com
April 23, 2009 by NJ_Esperantist, 47 weeks 4 hours ago
I've maybe edited a word or
I've maybe edited a word or two in Wiktionary, so I'm not what you'd call a user. (However, I am an editor in eo:Wikipedia.)
In fairness, the English Wiktionary is a lot more complete. If you type in "bird" in the search box there, you can open the "Translations" box and find the Esperanto. Ideally, that would also work in the EO Wiktionary, but as previously mentioned, it has not seen a lot of use.
That being said, I did find "bird" -> "birdo" in this Wiktionary list http://eo.wiktionary.org/wiki/Vortaro_angla-Esperanta_b of English to Esperanto word list.
April 23, 2009 by Yekrats, 47 weeks 3 hours ago
Neat!
I'm not sure whether to be elated or disappointed. The page also has the word 'baby boomer' on it, for which I often wondered if there was a snappy Esperanto equivalent. Sadly, it's translated as a phrase instead of something possibly like 'postmilita naskitarano'
Still, finding the list you pointed to, doesn't look very easy from the front page.
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http://vortoj.wiki-site.com
April 23, 2009 by NJ_Esperantist, 46 weeks 6 days ago