7.0429 TLL and TLG: E-Lexicography Conf (1/140)
Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 19 Jan 1994 12:53:18 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 7, No. 0429. Wednesday, 19 Jan 1994.
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 1994 08:33:36 -0800
From: tbrunner@orion.oac.uci.edu (Theodore F. Brunner)
Subject: Conference
"Thesaurus Linguae Latinae and Thesaurus Linguae Graecae: New Directions for
Electronic Lexicography in Latin and Greek" on the campus of the University of
California at Irvine (UCI). Thirty-three international scholars (see attached
roster) met to discuss plans for creating an electronic lexicon based on the
published text of the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (TLL) and to consider possible
lexicographic directions UCI's Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG) might take in
the future. The conference succeeded in its goal of formulating definite plans
for the production of TLL in a machine-readable format at UCI. The
participants unanimously endorsed the project and pledged their support by
ratifying a motion which is quoted at the conclusion of this report.
The first day of the conference was entirely devoted to the subject of
converting TLL to an electronic format. The papers read by Peter Flury
(General Editor of TLL), Richard Tarrant (Chair of the Department of the
Classics at Harvard University), Cornelis van Leijenhorst (an associate editor
of TLL), and Patrick Sinclair (Department of Classics at UCI) respectively set
out the basic principles of organization in TLL, described some scholarly
desiderata of an electronic version, discussed some aspects of the printed TLL
that will require special treatment in the process of computerization, and
suggested ways in which an electronic lexicon might be realized through textual
encoding and the development of search software. Paul Tombeur (Director of the
Centre de Traitement Electronique des Documents--CETEDOC) spoke about his
institute's experience developing and distributing electronic texts on CD ROM.
The second day opened with two papers about the contents of TLG's data bank.
Francisco Rodriguez Adrados (General Editor of the Diccionario Griego-Espanol
in production in Madrid, Spain) described how his institute for Greek
lexicography has benefited from using TLG in its research. Then William
Johnson (TLG's Assistant Director and Director of Research) delivered a paper
outlining one way in which TLG's data might be encoded and organized so as to
facilitate linguistic analysis that would be useful to the broadest range of
scholarly interests. Johnson suggested that "morphological categorization"
would be an especially useful method of using the TLG data bank to create an
electronic Greek historical lexicon.
The afternoon of the second day returned to the subject of planning the
computerization of TLL. Theodore Brunner (TLG's Director) assessed the
previous day's discussions and then proceeded to describe the practical steps
necessary to create an organizational structure and to secure funding for the
project. At the conclusion of his address he put forwardOn December 17-18,
1993, Patrick Sinclair convened an invitational conference entitled the
following motion:
We, the members of the December 1993 Planning Conference, representing a broad
spectrum of international academic expertise and interests, firmly and
unanimously
endorse the concept of creating an electronic version of the Thesaurus Linguae
Latinae. Availability of such an electronic resource will significantly
enhance opportunities for research and scholarship as Classics and the
humanities move into the 21st century.
We envision the project leading to the creation of this resource as one of
international scope and import, and one offering unique opportunities for
collaboration between the University of California, the Thesaurus Linguae
Latinae at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, and other American and European
research entities and organizations.
We pledge our endorsement and support to Professor Patrick Sinclair as he
creates, at UC Irvine, the organizational, scholarly, technological, and
financial structures upon which the electronic Thesaurus Linguae Latinae will
rest, and we emphasize that the creation of an electronic TLL is sufficiently
important to research and scholarship to justify the investment of extensive
private, institutional, and governmental funds.
The motion was seconded by Richard Tarrant and ratified by a positive vote of
all the participants.
Arrangements are being made to publish the conference papers in an appropriate
journal or monograph series.
Conference Participants:
Francisco R. Adrados, General Editor, Diccionario Griego-Espanol, Madrid, Spain.
Athan Anagnostopoulos, Director, The Greek Institute, Cambridge, Mass.
George Anagnostopoulos, Department of Philosophy, UC San Diego.
Stephen A. Barney, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, UC Irvine.
Theodore F. Brunner, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae Project, UC Irvine; Director.
Dee Clayman, Professor of Classics, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of
the City University of New York; Director of the American Philological
Association's Database of Classical Bibliography Project.
Anthony T. Corbeill, Department of Classics, University of Kansas; past American
Philological Association Fellow to the TLL (1990-91).
Andrew Dyck, Professor of Classics, UCLA; member of the American Philological
Association's Committee on Reserarch.
Peter Flury, General Editor, Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, Bayerische Akademie der
Wissenschaften, Munich, Germany.
William Johnson, Director of Research and Assistant Director, Thesaurus Linguae
Graecae Project, UC Irvine; member of the American Philological Association's
Committee on Electronic Texts.
Cornelis G. van Leijenhorst, Associate Editor, Thesaurus Linguae Latinae,
Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Munich, Germany.
Marianne McDonald, Professor of Classics and Theater, UC San Diego; founder of
the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae Project, UC Irvine.
Charles Murgia, Professor of Classics, UC Berkeley; past member of the American
Philological Association's TLL Fellowship Committee.
Wilkins Poe, Department of Classics, Yale University; research Classicist and
computing consultant.
Barbara Shailor, Professor of Classics and Vice President for Student Services,
Bucknell University; Chair of the American Philological Association's TLL
Fellowship Committee.
Patrick Sinclair, Department of Classics, UC Irvine; past American Philological
Association Fellow to the TLL (1987-88); member of the American Philological
Association's TLL Fellowship Committee.
Juan Rodriguez Somolinos, Research Associate, Diccionario Griego-Espanol,
Madrid, Spain.
Richard Tarrant, Professor and Chair of the Department of the Classics, Harvard
University; past Chair of the American Philological Association's TLL
Fellowship Committee.
Paul Tombeur, Director of the Centre de Traitement Electronique des Documents
(CETEDOC).
Brent H. Vine, Department of Classics, Princeton University.
Shirley Werner, Department of Classics, UC Irvine; past American Philological
Association Fellow to the TLL (1992-93).
******************************************************************
Theodore F. Brunner, Director Phone: (714) 856-6404
Thesaurus Linguae Graecae FAX: (714) 856-8434
University of California Irvine
Irvine, CA 92717-5550 USA E-Mail: TLG@UCI.EDU
******************************************************************