TEI Lex-0

Clarity for lexicographers. Stability for data. Compatibility for the future.

TEI Lex-0 is both a technical specification and a set of community-based recommendations for encoding machine-readable dictionaries. It helps you create, analyze, and share lexical resources that are interoperable, sustainable, and fit for purpose.

<entry xml:id="SJ.DELxml:lang="entype="mainEntry">
 <form type="lemma">
  <orth>Lexicographer</orth>
 </form>
 <gramGrp>
  <gram type="posnorm="noun">n.s.</gram>
 </gramGrp>
 <sense xml:id="SJ.GDEL.l20s4b">
  <def>A writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words.</def>
  <cit type="example">
   <quote>Commentators and <ref type="oRef">lexicographers</ref> acquainted with the Syriac language, have given these hints in their writings on scripture.</quote>
   <bibl ref="#IW.IoM">Watts.</bibl>
  </cit>
 </sense>
</entry>Johnson (1755) 

Quickstart

To start using Lex-0 in your projects, you'll need a schema-aware XML editor and one of our schemas:

If you are new to the world of TEI and XML, in general, or need a refresher on how to validate TEI files, see FAQ → Getting Started

How to use the Guidelines

The narrative chapters of these Guidelines explain why TEI Lex-0 recommends certain practices, what those practices mean for lexicographic work, and how to apply them in real encoding situations. Each chapter focuses on a specific type of lexicographic content, covering rationale, examples and guidance for the consistent encoding of entries, forms, senses, translations, cross-references and usage labels.

The technical Specification is the reference manual (and, effectively, the “grammar”) of Lex-0. When you need to answer concrete questions like “What elements are allowed within <sense>?”, “Which attributes are permitted on <form>?”, or “What types of values are valid in target?”, the Specification is the first place to look.

The chapter on the Community explains how TEI Lex-0 evolved and the people behind it, while FAQs provide quick answers on why Lex-0 exists, how it relates to TEI P5, and how to get started with validation and tooling. They also cover issues such as where to ask questions, how to get involved with the development, how to cite the Guidelines etc.

Revision history

Changes to the TEI Lex-0 specification up to version 0.8.6 were included in comments inside the ODD file itself. Starting with version 0.9.0, we're listing a summary of the changes in this list for easier reference.

Version: 0.9.5 (2024-11-27)
  • docsAdded documentation on encoding condensed forms a là "leleti (sě)".
  • specAdded model.languageProfile to better structure <language> as per #245.
  • specAdded <ruby> annotation support as per #225
  • specAdded <measure> (to be used, for instance, within <extent> in <fileDesc> as per #257.
  • xprocAdded a temporary step to fix xml:base and xml:lang issues in xincluded examples as per #256
  • specDeprecated gram[@type="government"] in favor of gram[@type="government"] as per #254
  • specRefactored model classes to fix XSD UPA violations as per #223.
  • docsMinor corrections in the documentation
  • docsIntroduced the tagging of P5 and Lex-0 examples in the specification to avoid confusion
Version: 0.9.4 (2024-05-12)
  • xprocfix documentation build on macOS and Windows in oXygen XML Editor
  • specadded degree as <gram> type value
  • docsfixed some typographical errors in the documentation
Version: 0.9.3 (2024-02-12)
  • spec<catDesc> must contain a <term>
  • specswitch to using the external TEI add-on in oXygen when generating schema and documentation
  • specfix the mismatch in <usg> types between the specification and documentation (use temporal instead of time
  • specrequire <listBibl> in <sourceDesc> with three suggested type values: dictionaries, corpora and literature
Version: 0.9.2 (2023-04-22)
  • xprocswitch to using oXygen's TEI framework when generating schema and documentation
  • specallow <list> and <item> because lists feature prominently in dictionary front matter
  • specintroduce model.lexicalInter (based on model.inter), model.lexicalPhrase (based on model.phrase) and macro.lexicalParaContent (based on macro.paraContent) to make it easier to simplify the content model of various dictionary elements
  • specremove model.listLike from model.lexicalInter
  • htmllink version number in the menu to revision history
  • specallow <abbr> and <expan> so that they can be used in lists of abbreviations in dictionary front matter
  • specintroduced valency as a suggested value in gram[@type="valency"]
  • specintroduced gram[@type="government"] and clarified the difference from gram[@type="colloc"]. See sections on Typology of gram and Collocates
  • specmade @type mandatory on <TEI>
  • specadd <principal> and <affiliation> for more robust metadata in the <teiHeader>
Version: 0.9.1 (2021-03-24)
Version: 0.9.0 (2021-09-26)