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.DEL" xml:lang="en" type="mainEntry">
<form type="lemma">
<orth>Lexicographer</orth>
</form>
<gramGrp>
<gram type="pos" norm="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:
- Relax NG (RNG)
- RELAX NG Compact (coming soon)
- XML Schema (XSD) (coming soon)
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.
- fix documentation build on macOS and Windows in oXygen XML Editor
- added
degreeas <gram> type value - fixed some typographical errors in the documentation
- <catDesc> must contain a <term>
- switch to using the external TEI add-on in oXygen when generating schema and documentation
- fix the mismatch in <usg> types between the specification and documentation (use
temporalinstead oftime - require <listBibl> in <sourceDesc> with three suggested type values:
dictionaries,corporaandliterature
- switch to using oXygen's TEI framework when generating schema and documentation
- allow <list> and <item> because lists feature prominently in dictionary front matter
- introduce 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
- remove model.listLike from model.lexicalInter
- link version number in the menu to revision history
- allow <abbr> and <expan> so that they can be used in lists of abbreviations in dictionary front matter
- introduced
valencyas a suggested value ingram[@type="valency"] - introduced
gram[@type="government"]and clarified the difference fromgram[@type="colloc"]. See sections on Typology ofgramand Collocates - made
@typemandatory on <TEI> - add <principal> and <affiliation> for more robust metadata in the <teiHeader>
- fix namespace issues in html output
- add new examples to the Header section
- add section on hierarchichal usage labels
- allow <taxonomy>, <category> and <catDesc> in <classDecl>
- move the specification to a different webpage for quicker loading
- add section on TEI Header
- correction of various misspellings
- add <monogr> (needed for <biblStruct>)
- add <forename> and <surname> for more fine-grained bibliographic information
- add <editorialDecl>
- add <email> to make possible contact information in the header
- require <availability> in <publicationStmt> to provide <licence>
- make <sourceDesc> optional
- allow only <biblStruct> in <sourceDesc>
- make model.publicationStmtPart.agency unbound to allow both <publisher> and <authority> in <publicationStmt>
- add role to <authority> with suggested values: funder, sponsor, rightsHolder
- require <language>, <langUsage> and <profileDesc>
- add role to <language> with a closed list of values: objectLanguage, workingLanguage, sourceLanguage, targetLanguage
