Should PUDL's Open Dictionary be international?

[Stephen Slevinski]

Charles,

OK.  I'll consider it.  I've actually thought about it from day one.  I know
just how I would do it.  It would take me a few hours to get set up.

But would anyone really use this?

What I have right now is very basic.  If a dictionary gets large, it will
require attention.  I am willing to give an ASL dictionary this attention,
but could become overwhelmed by multiple languages.

However, I could improve the dictionary significantly.  For each signed
language, I could create utilities for managers, supervisors, and
contributors who would be able to manage each dictionary on their own.  I
could set up a voting system for input from users about existing signs.
Dictionaries could have definitions, synonyms, and antonyms.  I could even
create an online utility for creating new signs.  Really anything is
possible, and I'd really love to do this, except for time and money.

And if the dictionary becomes popular, the bandwidth requirements could get
very expensive each month.  I would never charge for access to the site, so
if I set this up I would add a begging page to the site.  I might even have
a quarterly fund-raiser that would appear at the top of the page.

So I really need some feedback here.  Would it be used?  Would it provide
value?  Anyone know of any good grants?

And back to ASL. I have 1464 signs in the ASL dictionary, and I've only
finished up to letter D.  I've been transcribing from SignWriter Java.  I
really like the source field.  I've made sure to give proper credit for each
sign.

Has anyone tried the Build utility with the dictionary?  I like to think of
it as a simple SignWriter Online.  It ª±  really easy to use.  You can either
type in text directly in the build section, or you can search for a sign,
view it, and  press the add button.
www.pudl.info/dictionary/searchPlus.php

-Stephen Slevinski
www.pudl.info
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