Bilingual Chinese - English Language Dictionary Database

The application described in this paper is intended to facilitate web access to lexical information for Chinese and English. A Visual Basic application connects front-end HTML forms with a back-end object-oriented database implemented using LPA Prolog++. The three main components of the application are (1) the back-end database for storing lexical information; (2) a Web Client application for front-end query input; (3) an Agent application to handle the exchange between the client's queries and the database. The access strategies being incorporated into this application are based on natural classes of lexis defined according to thematic, taxonomic and semantic relations. Accessing dictionary data on the internet The on-line bilingual Chinese/English language dictionary we are developing will provide web access to lexical information for Chinese and English. Our aim is to build an on-line bilingual dictionary data retrieval tool for language learners and language professionals which duplicates the human attempt at defining words, i.e. defining word meaning based on associations or relations with surrounding words and phrases. The back-end dictionary database is intended to provide comprehensive coverage of Chinese and English words. Users will be able to (a) retrieve dictionary data for Chinese/English words/phrases as with a conventional dictionary; and (b) retrieve entries matching syn­ tactic and/or semantic criteria given by the user. The three main components of the application are (1) the back-end database for storing lexical information; (2) a Web Client application for front-end query input; (3) an Agent application to handle the exchange between the client's queries and the database. How will our WWW Bilingual Chinese-English language dictionary database compare with other attempts at providing internet access to lexical/dictionary data? There are, for example, several 'Webster Servers' available on the internet. Examples (as reported by Steeve McCauley, http://www.eps.mcgill. ca/~steeve) include webster.cs. indiana.edu (restricted access), citi.umich. edu (open), webster.cs.