Documentation:RelLex/Admin/Style Guide

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Style Guide

Relational Lexicography Knowledgebase
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About RelLex
An index of under-resourced North American language references, including print and digital dictionaries.
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About the Knowledgebase
Find our filterable Knowledgebase of dictionaries and lexicography technology at https://knowledgebase.arts.ubc.ca/.

Page Creation, Editing, and General Formatting

Instructions for Creating a New Page

  • Open the NA Languages Spreadsheet.
  • Ensure you are logged in via your CWL prior to making changes. If using a personal computer, you may select “keep me logged in” to skip this step next time.
  • Once logged in, you should be on the ILK Sandbox page. Here you can view examples of previous entries and the template.
  • Paste title of desired dictionary to “Add New Entry” input box, located under Database Sandbox. The input box when blank displays “Dictionary title here”. Double check the spelling of dictionary title before entering, as title names cannot be changed later without moving the page and creating a redirect. This will bring user to a blank template page with the dictionary title as the title of the new page.
    • Please make sure you are not editing the home page. If you are, exit the page without saving.
  • Fill out information under headers. All of the information is provided in the NA Languages Spreadsheet under the same names. Please follow the provided standard style guide and make corrections if the information provided in the spreadsheet does not follow the specified wording. Consistency is key!
  • Update the spreadsheet to reflect any changes made to the Wiki and vice versa.
  • To index the post correctly within the language category use the top menu to navigate, and switch into "Wikitext". Once in the "Wikitext" editing view, scroll to the very bottom and add this text:
    • [[Category:RLK Language NAME OF LANGUAGE]]
    • Replace NAME OF LANGUAGE with the name of the language that the dictionary is of, based on the category from the spreadsheet.
  • If this is not the first post for a language, the page is now finished. If it is the first page for a language email dictionaries.arts@ubc.ca for further instructions on how to index a language category.
  • Save and finish
  • If you have any questions please contact dictionaries.arts@ubc.ca

Instructions for Editing an Existing Page

  • Open the RelLex Wiki and find the page you would like to edit.
  • Ensure you are logged in via your CWL prior to making changes. If using a personal computer, you may select “keep me logged in” to skip this step next time.
  • Select 'Edit' from the top menu and begin editing the page.
  • Please follow the provided standard style guide when editing and adding information.
  • Ensure all the categories have the correct titles, and are in the correct order (they should appear as they are on this page).
  • Update the spreadsheet to reflect any changes made to the Wiki and vice versa.
  • Save and finish
  • If you have any questions please contact dictionaries.arts@ubc.ca

General Formatting

  • There should be no periods used in the spreadsheet, but please use them on the Wiki.
  • Use full sentences and provide context when possible:
    • ex. under Publication Information, instead of just “1992”, say “Published in 1992”
    • ex. under Where Information is Coming From instead of “Previous work” say “The information in this resource comes from previous work, name and author of previous work, and has been added to, and republished by author’.
  • Please use commas between names, and semi-colons to break up larger groups.
    • eg; Bob Ross, Tim Caplin (language consultants); Jim Roussakis, Barbara Jane (tech support).
  • Capitalise the E in Elder and I in Indigenous.
  • FirstVoices is stylised without a space between the words.
    • The titles of FirstVoices pages must be in a consistent format of "Language name (optional: Alternative name/English name/Dialect) FirstVoices"
      • ex. "Splatsin (Eastern Dialect) FirstVoices" or "Ktunaxa FirstVoices"
    • .If there are multiple archives (ex. English and French versions) the format must be "Language name (optional: Alternative name/English name/Dialect) FirstVoices - Archive Language"
      • ex. "Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) FirstVoices – French"
  • If there is no information to enter in a certain section specify why. Ex. for “Where is this information coming from”:
    • 1) Unknown, not specified in the dictionary, or
    • 2) Unknown, we have not been able to access this dictionary
  • Make sure all sections here are included on every page with the titles provided on this page. (ex. Some pages may be missing Publishing Information, some may say 'Country, State/Province' instead of Region)
    • The only exception to this is for pre-1950s dictionaries, which have a slightly reduced template, and should only include: Language Name, Alternative Language Names, Region, Who, Publishing Information,Tools and Frameworks Used, Access, Included Languages and Directionality, Type of Dictionary, Other Notes, and External Links.
  • When referring to sections of dictionary use italics. When referring to other sections of the post use double quotes, ex:
    • Speakers are cited in the Preface of the dictionary
    • Links to access this dictionary can be found in the "External Links" section.
  • Use the term dictionary in most cases when referring to the resource being scoped. Use resource in the cases where dictionary does not apply, ex. cases where we have scoped a short world list contained in a grammar.

Style Guide

Language Name

Copy from spreadsheet. Just the name is okay here, this does not need to be a full sentence.

Alternate Language Names

Copy from spreadsheet. Only the alternative language name(s) need to be included here. This does not need to be a full sentence.

  • In some cases words that are now considered to be slurs or unacceptable by an Indigenous community are used (eg; Eskimo, Nootka, Kwakiutl). These are still to be included, and in the final version of the site there will be a note that while we do not condone the use of these terms, they have been historically used and can be instrumental in finding older works.

If there are no alternative language names write: "We are not aware of any alternative language names."

Region

Use the state/province and country names (no abbreviations). This section is to identify the regions the language in general is spoken in/has been spoken in. It is not meant to provide regional information for a specific dialect (regional information for a specific dialect should be entered in the "Dialects Included" section)

First, ensure that the title of this section is "Region" and not "Country, Province/State".

Formatting:

  • State/province(s) followed by country, ex: Northwest Territories, Canada.
  • Separate list of multiple countries with a semicolon, ex: North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, United States; Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. (state/province, state/province, Country #1; state/province, Country #2.)
  • Abbreviations have been used in the spreadsheet. If you are unsure of the abbreviation for a state, they are all listed here [1]

Who

Copy from this section from the spreadsheet. This will likely be an individual or an organization. This section can include only a name, and does not have to be a full sentence.

  • If it is an organization, add a blurb or description of the organization from their website if it is available.
  • If the author(s) have an affiliation (academic or other) listed at the time of the publication, please include it.

Others Involved

Others Involved includes a wide range of involvement, from people to organisations that helped to fund projects. This section can include only a name, or names and does not have to be a full sentence. When filling this out, please follow this format:

Bob Ross, Tim Caplin (language consultants); Jim Roussakis, Barbara Jane (tech support); Social Sciences and Humanity Research Council, Government of Canada (support).

As there are a wide variety of contributions that can be made, this does not cover every single term used. If you encounter something not listed, please note the contribution the same way the dictionary does.

If there are no specific contributions listed in brackets beside names in the NA Languages Spreadsheet, please look at the dictionary project and add the specific contributions to both the spreadsheet and the Wiki page.

Some examples of contributions are as follow:

  • Consultant
    • Consultant would be anyone consulted with for the project, primarily these are language consultants and linguist consultants. Please specify what what the person cited with was consulted on if known. If not, consultant is acceptable.
  • Support
    • This is most often used to refer to organisations that gave financial support to the project.
  • Speaker
    • Speaker of the language. This can have overlap with language consultant.
  • Elders
    • If someone is an Elder it will be specified in the citations. Not all Elders are speakers, and not all speakers are Elders.
  • Researcher
    • Often linguists, community researchers, linguistic anthropologists, or grad students who assisted with the project in some way.
  • Linguist
    • Linguist who shared linguistic knowledge with the author(s) for the projects, often grammar and phonetic information.
  • Editor
    • Editor of the project or publication
  • Manuscript writer
    • Most often seen in works prior to the 1990s, where another person would type what the author had handwritten for publication.
  • Draft writer
    • Most often seen in works prior to the 1990s, where another person would type what the author had handwritten. In this case, the author would have made corrections and typed the final manuscript themselves.
  • Committee
    • General term for a language or culture society, program, or committee, which are often named in the citations. Please use the name given rather than the general term. eg; Xaad Kihlgaa Hl Suu.u Society.
  • Language teacher
    • Teacher of the language used in the dictionary. Teachers are not always fluent speakers.
  • Contributor
    • Unspecified contributions, usually noted similarly in acknowledgements.
  • Unnamed contributions
    • Some authors thank people without specifying their contributions to the project.
  • Unnamed contributors
    • Some communities choose not to print the names of speakers or Elders who have passed on. If this is the case, it is often mentioned.
    • Some authors and editors, primarily in works from before the 2000s, do not specify the names of those who assisted them or their specific tasks. Anywhere where "unnamed", "others", or any other non-specific language is used to describe assistance to the project is used, it is best to include this at the end.

If we do not have information for this category:

  • If we are able to access the resource and there is no information on others who are involved in the project: "There is no information included in this resource about others involved."
  • If we cannot access the resource: "We are unable to access information about others who may have been involved in creation of this dictionary."

Publishing Information

For Print:

Include publisher (when that information is available) and date published for physical works, it is not needed for digital. If this information is missing from the spreadsheet, WorldCat [2] will have it. If the book is not available on WorldCat, please contact dictionaries.arts@ubc.ca or a librarian for more help.

  • publication location can be included when available, but it is not necessary
  • note that for pre-1950s dictionaries some will be unpublished manuscripts without a date - please note that it is unpublished here and include as much information as possible (ex. if we know it was written between 1940 and 1943)
  • typical format: Published year by publisher name, publisher location.

For Digital:

Include launch date of the online resource if it is available. If it is not available:

  • If there isn't information on launch dates or update dates: "This is a digital dictionary that doesn't display any information on launch or update dates."
  • If there isn't information on launch dates, but there is information on last updated dated: "This is a digital dictionary that doesn't display any information on launch dates."
  • Information on last updated dates will be included under 'other notes', not here.

Any information of multiple editions and the publication dates and publishers of those editions should also be listed here. If we scoped a specific edition, please identify that here.

How People are Cited

This category targets information about where in resources people are cited. This can include authors, speakers, consultants etc. Please specify who is cited in each place, ex. "The author is cited on the home page. The speakers, consultants and artists are cited in the Introduction". If the resource only cites the author, and does not cite anyone else who was involved we can say something like ex. "The author is cited on the home page. Speakers are not cited in this dictionary". The speakers, Elders, and consultants should be the focus of this section, as the manner in which the author, compiler, or publisher is cited is often standard across publications.

There are many variations of how people are cited, so please use the wording that was used by each source. Here are some examples of the most frequent terms we have found:

  • Acknowledgements
  • Home page
  • Introduction
  • Foreword
  • Named beside entries
  • Initials beside entries
  • Named after entries
  • Initials after entries
  • Preface
  • About this record
    • Primarily found on FirstVoices pages, often alongside Metadata tab and Audio Information.
  • Metadata tab
    • Primarily found on FirstVoices pages, often alongside About this Record and Audio Information.
  • Audio Information
    • Primarily found on FirstVoices pages, often alongside Metadata tab and About this Record.

We should have information for this category in most cases, unless we are missing information for both the 'Who' and "Others Involved' categories. If we do not have information for this category:

  • If we are able to access the resource and no people are cited, write: "This dictionary does not cite any authors or contributors."
  • If we cannot access the resource write: "We are unable to access the dictionary to determine how people, such as speakers and contributors, are cited."

How Information is Cited

This section documents how information of various types is cited in the resource. This category includes information on where the information in the following category (Where Is Information Coming from) can be found in the resource. Please write in full sentences, and add details explaining what kind of information can be found in the places that are listed/relevant for each resource:

  • ex. Previous publications are cited in the Bibliography. All speakers are cited in the Credits section at the end of the dictionary.
  • Typical format: The source of information is cited in the section name section.

There are many ways information is cited, so please use the wording used on each source. Here are a few of the most common terms we have found:

  • Bibliography
  • Initial
  • Initial followed by page number
  • Credits
  • Audio Information
    • Primarily found on FirstVoices, often alongside Metadata tab.
  • Metadata tab
    • Primarily found on FirstVoices, often alongside Audio Information.
  • Home page

If we do not know how information is cited:

  • If we have access to the resource but it does not cite any information: "This dictionary does not cite the source of any of its information."
  • If we cannot access the resource: "We are unable to access this dictionary to determine how, or where source materials are cited."

Where is Information Coming from

This section documents where information of various types in the resource comes from. The information in every resource has to come from somewhere, this section seeks to answer that question.

Please write in full sentences, and add details explaining where the information comes from when it is available:

  • ex. The information in this dictionary comes from Speakers, and from previous unpublished documentation.

There are many types of information, so please use the wording used on each source. Here are a few of the most common terms we have found:

  • Speakers
    • Fluent speakers of the language.
  • Elders
    • May or may not be fluent speakers of the language, will be given the title of Elder where they are cited.
  • Consultants
    • May or may not be fluent speakers of the language, generally unspecified what exactly they were consulted on.
  • Language contributors
    • Often not fluent speakers of the language, but shared language knowledge.
  • Previous work
    • Previous published works, physical and digital. When known, please note in Links to Other Projects/Resources or Other Information.
  • Documentation
    • Primarily archival work or unpublished documentation of the language.


If the information in a dictionary comes directly from another published resource we have typically been citing that resource in this format: author's name (first and last, or just last)'s year title of work.


If we do not know where the information is coming from:

  • If we have access to the resource but it does not specify if the words come from speakers, fieldwork, previous sources etc: "This dictionary does not indicate where information is coming from or what sources were used."
  • If we cannot access the resource: "We are unable to access this dictionary to determine where the information is coming from or what sources were used."

Tools and Framework used

Please use these options as they align with the Wordpress category of 'Format'.

  • Website
    • any online dictionary resource that is not a scanned copy of a print book or ebook, but does not include any multimedia elements (audio, images, videos).
    • please specify any other features the website has, ex. search capabilities
  • Multimedia website
    • any online dictionary resource that includes multimedia elements (audio, images, videos).
    • please specify which multimedia elements are used
  • Physical book (ex. print dictionary, microfilm)
  • Digital book (ex. scanned or PDF copy, as well as eBook publications) (ex. If it is a digital journal article: "Digital publication, journal article.")
  • App (please specify where this app is available and what systems it is for)
  • Other (ex. board games, crosswords, old technology, etc.)

Elaborate on any frameworks that have been used, such as FirstVoices, or the Plateau People's Web Portal. Please be specific. For example:

  • ex: Physical book, microfilm
  • ex. Website, text only
  • ex. Website, includes a built in search

If a resource has multiple tools and frameworks used, please list them all separated by a semicolon:

  • ex: App, available on the Apple store; Multimedia website.

Access

Please use these options as they align with the Wordpress category of 'Access'.

  • Open Access
    • Any website, PDF, or otherwise free-to-access online resource, including apps
    • Must be digital
  • Members Only (includes both online and print resources)
    • Any resource unavailable to the general public
    • Some communities have print resources available to community members only
    • Some archives only allow access to specific communities or families
  • Paid Access
    • ex. Rosetta stone, archives, apps
    • Anything that is behind a paywall
    • Note the price in brackets if it is available, ex: Online Paid Access ($0.99 CAD)
    • This includes books that can/must be purchased (a link must be included, publisher link is preferred)
  • Library Access
    • Includes both print and ebooks, and encompasses 'institutional access' /resources we can access through UBC
    • Include the WorldCat link
  • Inaccessible/Unverifiable
    • May be referenced in another resource but we are unable to find it. This is often pre-1950s resources, personal collections, some archives, pamphlets

Included Languages and Directionality

This will change based on how many languages are involved in the dictionary and layout. Please list in the order it the languages are included in the dictionary to represent directionality. If there is any further information please include it ex. language direction can be switched based on a search language (often the case in online dictionaries), Language 2 to Language 1 is included in the appendix and entries must be referenced in the main body of the dictionary, etc.

  • Language 1
  • Language 1 to Language 2
  • Language 1 to Language 2, Language 2 to Language 1
  • Language 1 to Language 2 to Language 3

If the resource cannot be accessed: "We are unable to access this dictionary to determine the included languages and directionality."

Dialects Included

Include by name(s) given when known. Please write exactly how the dictionary does.

Regional information on the specific dialects can optionally be included here

  • If it is a subset of the state(s)/province(s) included in the Region section above,
  • Or if it is information more specific than the state/province level.

If the dialect is not indicated in the resource, make a note here that the dialect is unknown: "No dialect is specified for this dictionary."

If the resource is inaccessible: "We are unable to access this dictionary to determine which dialects are included."

An entry for a resource with only one dialect should be phrased as such: "This is a dictionary of the name of dialect dialect"

Type of Dictionary

The dictionary type generally involves three main parts. 1) number of languages, 2) directionality, 3) type of dictionary.

Ex. "This is a bilingual, mono-directional, word list"

The number of languages refers to how many translation languages are included in the dictionary, and is already touched upon in the Included Languages and Directionality section above. Examples of 1) number of languages, would be:

  • Monolingual
    • The dictionary includes entries in only one language with no translations (this would be an untranslated word list, or a picture dictionary with entries in only one language).
  • Bilingual
    • Two languages, either in one or two directions.
  • Multilingual
    • A dictionary which includes three or more languages, in any direction.

Some dictionaries include translations or comparisons between multiple dialects of a language, in those cases we might want to classify the dictionary as Bi-dialectical or Multi-dialectical.

Directionality refers to what translation direction(s) the dictionary is designed to be used in, and is already touched upon in the Included Languages and Directionality section above. Examples of 2) directionality, would be:

  • Mono-directional
    • The dictionary only has one translation direction (Only language 1 to language 2).
  • Bidirectional
    • The dictionary hast two translation directions (Language 1 to language 2, and language 2 to language 1).

Some dictionaries may not have a a clear direction, or any direction at all, such as comparative dictionaries or monolingual dictionaries. In these cases, leave 2) directionality out of this section.

Type of dictionary is the most important piece of information in this section, and refers to what structure the dictionary uses. Occasionally a dictionary may be a combination of multiple types: ex. a topical word list. Here are a some possible entries for 3) type of dictionary:

  • Wordlist
    • A list of words, possibly with translations, with little to no other information (ex. doesn't have example sentences). This type of dictionary is often combined with others.
  • Topical
    • A dictionary which is organized and divided up by themes or semantic categories (ex. birds, fishing, kinship terms).
  • Dictionary
    • Although all of the categories listed here are types of dictionary, we will use the term dictionary here to categorize dictionaries which are typical, but don't fit into any of the other categories listed here. This would be a bilingual or multilingual dictionary which is organized alphabetically, and includes entry information such as example sentences which make it more than a word list.
  • Thematic
    • The entire dictionary contains only words relating to a specific theme eg; fishing, sports, cooking.
  • Verb
    • Contains only verbs
  • Noun
    • Contains only nouns
  • Picture
    • Children or early learner's picture book, or an online dictionary which uses pictures instead of including English translations.
  • Grammar (with...)
    • Grammar with an included dictionary ie: Grammar with word list, Grammar with topical dictionary
    • Sometimes the Knowledgebase may include a Grammar which does not contain a word list or dictionary, in those cases the type of dictionary would be: "This resource is a grammar rather than a dictionary".
  • Comparative
    • Dictionary that compares two or more different languages or dialects, often in a chart or spreadsheet format.
  • Game
    • Dictionary used with word games, such as Scrabble.
  • Pedagogical
    • A dictionary designed for teaching.

Please Elaborate when possible. Ex. if the dictionary is 'Topical', include what some of the themes are (if available) using full sentences.

If the resource is inaccessible: "We are unable to access this dictionary to determine what type of dictionary it is."

How are Entries Organised

This section refers to how entries are organized in the dictionary, and may be different for each section of a dictionary. Two common ways of organizing entries are:

  • Topically
    • By topic or theme
    • Often dictionaries which are organized topically will organize entries within each theme alphabetically, so we could say something like "This dictionary is organized topically, with entries within each section organized alphabetically by English."
  • Alphabetically
    • We can further specify whether entries are organized alphabetically by English, or by another language. Many languages use orthographies which use non-English characters or alphabetize roman characters differently than English. Please note that information here if it is available.

If the resource is inaccessible: "We are unable to access this dictionary to determine how entries are organised."

Other Features

Please add this chart to every entry based on the corresponding spreadsheet columns. If yes in spreadsheet, delete the ❌, if no, delete the ✅. Where more information is given than yes or no, specify under More Information. In the cases where the information is unavailable (most common in cases of print dictionaries we have not been able to access), write 'Unknown' in the Included column.

  • do not include periods in the More Information section.
Feature Included More Information
Guide to use and understand ✅❌
Audio ✅❌
Images ✅❌
Example phrases ✅❌
Speakers marked ✅❌
Dialects marked ✅❌


A dictionary includes a guide to use and understand if includes instructions on how to use, understand, or navigate the dictionary entries. A description of the language which does not relate to the organization of the dictionary should not be counted as a guide to use and understand.

Audio refers to when audio is included in each entry (in the case of online dictionaries) or accompanies the dictionary in some way (ex. a downloadable companion to a digital or physical dictionary or a CD).

Images refers to when pictures are included in the dictionary along with the entries, or are designed to accompany a dictionary. Sometimes these images correspond to entries, while other times they are included sporadically, or are paired with speaker bios. Typically it is good to specify what types of images are included and where.

Examples phrases are when phrases are included in the language to show the headwords in context. Example sentences are typically included in the language as additional information within each entry. In some cases phrases are included as their own entries (like in some FirstVoices dictionaries)—if this is the case, please make a note of it in the More Information cell.

Speakers marked refers to when speakers are identified by name, initials, or a symbol specifically within each entry.

Dialects marked refers to when dialects are identified by name, letter(s), or a symbol specifically within each entry.

Other Notes

  • Any other notes written in NA Languages Spreadsheet or observations you had.
  • Last updated dates for online dictionaries
    • choose from: "updated in the last five years", "updated in the last 10 years," or "last updated more than 10 years ago".

If this category is empty, please delete it.

External Links

Include names of, and links to related projects or resources, such as the print copy of a digital dictionary, or the original publication that a dictionary built upon. Please paste the link directly on the page so that users can see the link, and add explanation about what the link is for: ex. "Reference on WorldCat: insert link to the book's page on Worldcat"

For print and digital publications please include the WorldCat link, and a link to the book's page on the publishers website if it is available.

Add WorldCat link in this format: "Reference on WorldCat: insert link to the book's page on Worldcat"

Add publisher's link in this format "View on the publisher's website: insert link to the publisher's page for the book"

If you are linking to related resource's RelLex page (ex. in cases where there are separate links for an online vs. print version of a dictionary), link both Knowledgebase link, and the wiki link, and indentify which one is which.

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