Crowdsourcing dictionary entries in major and minoritised languages

Presented on 14 September 2019, at theReies an 14 a vis Gwyngala 2019, ort an New Methods for New Media Summer School, Queen’s University Belfastpednscol an Vyghternes, Béal Feirste, 13–14 Septembera vis Gwyngala.

Abstract

Berrscrif

This project will examine the use of online crowdsourcing by dictionaries and terminology databases, focusing on two contrasting examples. The Collins English Dictionary is a longestablished and well-known dictionary published in the UK, which began inviting submissions through crowdsourcing in 2012 along with the launch of its full online version: it typically receives up to 100 submissions each month. TermBret is a division of the language office regulating Breton, a regional language of France, which maintains an online database of recommended terms and also regularly solicits users' suggestions for translations of specific French words. With data from the two websites, and additional information provided by the staff responsible for both services, this project will use both large-scale quantitative analysis and a more fine-grained look at the types of words and definitions put forward, aiming to investigate how these reveal attitudes towards language and who owns it, what sort of person engages with crowdsourcing of this type and what this might reflect about issues of representation and diversity, and whether this sort of feature is successful in meeting its aims.