The Lexmeta Model for Lexical Resources: Theoretical and Implementation Issues

Abstract

This paper presents LexMeta, a metadata model for the description of lexical resources, such as dictionaries, word lists, glossaries, etc., to be used in language data catalogues mainly targeting the lexicographic and broader humanities communities but also users exploiting such resources in their research and applications. A comparative review of similar models is made in order to show the differences and commonalities with LexMeta. To enhance semantic interoperability and support the exchange of (meta)data across disciplinary and general catalogues, the most influential models for our purposes, namely FRBR (used in library catalogues) and META-SHARE (used for language resources), are selected as a base for the design of LexMeta. We discuss how these models are aligned and extended with new properties as required for the description of lexical resources. The formal representation of the model following the Linked Data paradigm aims to further enhance the semantic interoperability. The choice to implement it in two formats (as an RDF/OWL and as a Wikibase ontology) facilitates its adoption and hence its enrichment, yet poses challenges as to their synchronisation, which are addressed through automatic workflows. We conclude with ongoing and planned activities for the improvement of the model.

Keywords

• lexicography
• metadata model
• linked data
• lexical resources
• Wikibase