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Article published In:
Orthographic Databases and Lexicons
Edited by Lynne Cahill and Terry Joyce
[Written Language & Literacy 20:1] 2017
► pp. 27–51

Constructing an ontology and database of Japanese lexical properties

Handling the orthographic complexity of the Japanese writing system

| Tama University, Japan
| Osaka University, Japan
| Hiroshima Shudo University, Japan

As a significant milestone within ongoing efforts to construct a comprehensive database in the form of a lexical resource (LR) of Japanese Lexical Properties (JLP-LR), this paper outlines the initial construction of an Ontology of Japanese Lexical Properties (JLP-O) (Joyce & Hodošček 2014), and, in particular, describes some of its key aspects specifically incorporated in order to satisfactorily handle the orthographic complexity of the Japanese writing system (Joyce 2013, 2016; Joyce, Hodošček & Nishina 2012). While motivated primarily by issues of orthographic representation for the Japanese lexicon, these key features potentially have wider implications for the effective construction of integrated orthographic databases and lexicons.

Keywords: ontology, database, Japanese lexical properties, Japanese writing system, orthography, lexical entry (LE), decomposition
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Ontology of Japanese lexical properties (JLP-O)
  • 3.Handling aspects of the Japanese writing system
    • 3.1Character LEs and character module
    • 3.2 canonicalForm and orthographicForm
    • 3.3Forms of decomposition
      • 3.3.1Orthographic decomposition
      • 3.3.2Phonological decomposition
      • 3.3.3Morphological decomposition
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 19 October 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/wll.20.1.03joy
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