[Starting page of the article]
Dictionary databases, philological databases, cultural knowledge databases
Terence Russon WOOLDRIDGE
University of Toronto
[Abstract]
1. Introduction
2. Profil
3. Acanthe
4. Platte peinture
5. The metalinguistic keyword database
6. The Académie database
Abstract
The knowledge of a past state of a language is obtained from texts and, when they exist,
dictionaries of the period. The two complement each other: the texts show the language in use (linguistic level) while the dictionaries offer a reflexion on the language (metalinguistic level). The computerized early dictionaries -- particularly Estienne, Nicot and the Académie française -- are linked to some of their source texts -- including Belleau, Du Fouilloux, Vigenere and Vitruve -- and to bibliographical and metalinguistic keyword bases as well as to critical notes and images.