You are welcome to give suggestions on following projects.
[1]Making of Arabic-Arabic Dictionary with features given below: -> Use of around 2500 Defining Words in explanationof all words: All major English to English dictionaries from Macmillan, Oxford, Cambridge, and Long-man Publication utilize this concept. This develop habit of thinking in target language that one is learning right from beginning and eliminate use of any mental translation.
-> Maximum Word Coverage: Just one Arabic Lexicon unfortunately exists having record of major words in Arabic Language. It is E. W. Lane's Arabic Dictionary in eight volume. However, this volume is no longer in software form and so far has been in PDF Form. So user has no way to search specific word except by scrolling to that word manually. And those dictionary which has search feature do not cover words or give details as E W Lane's dictionary provide. However, E W Lane's dictionary is also not perfect as it does not have many features which are listed here. Thus, a good dictionary should have maximum word coverage with maximum features and information provided. ->Use of Vowels in all Arabic Words: Non-native learners of Arabic may not understand how to read word without any vowels. As most Native Arabic do not use vowels, their books are not useful to non-Arab world. In English, Transcription system representing all 44 English sounds exist but in case of Arabic, no such system is popular and globally accepted. Use of Sound would be a great help in that case. All people in non-Arab world read Quran which always have vowels in each and every word. Unfortunately, all dictionary software still use words with no vowels shown as those words.
-> Use of Recorded Native Pronunciation: English dictionaries provide this feature such as British Pronunciation or American Pronunciation. However, there is no full fledged Arabic Sound Dictionary that claim to cover all the words this way. Few Arabic Software use sound but they teach limited words this way. Only One website has started to record all the words in different languages online. www.forvo.com
-> Use of Pictures & Illustration: Picture represent concrete words to great extent and abstract word through drawing helping the explanation. It is true that one picture is better than thousand words as it provides easy and quick context to meaning associated to words. Major Pictorial dictionary can cover all words which are concrete (visible objects). In case of abstract, illustration or drawing should be used creatively to explain the context. In order to explain the word AIR, picture of two balloons can be used to show that one has more airs inside than the other.
-> Use of Real Life Example to show how word is used in a sentence: Most dictionary have a large database of real life spoken sentences and this relevant sentences are used to explain each and every word in a dictionary. No such effort has been done by Arab Linguistic word so far. If possible, audio of common phrase should be recorded so that non-native people can understand certain linguistic aspects of language such as stress, accent, intonation patterns etc which is not possible through word recorded in isolation. However, the sentence should be provided in written as well to ensure learners get idea of what is being spoken and how. Make sure that sentences used should not have complicated grammar as user of the dictionary should be able to understand sentence without referring to any external grammar notes.
-> Use of Sufficient Grammar Details: Word Class information such as nouns, verbs etc should be provided just after the word. Here an order has to be follow such as noun, adjective, verb, adverb and so on. in case of verb, a verb conjugation table should be provided for each of the verb rather than expecting a user of the dictionary to conjugate himself or herself.
-> Order of occurrence: In case of Multiple meaning of a single word, most frequent meaning should be given first.
-> Multiple Search Options: Just Macmillan dictionary has this feature which provide ways to search desired word through its pronunciation or spellings. In case of Arabic, however, it should provide search on the basis of user define criteria such as all nouns, all verbs, all nouns that start with A, or all the words that have high frequency, or all the words which have been used in Quran. In Macmillan Dictionary, if user type A? where all words would be listed whose first letter would be A. If user type *A?, it means there second letter should be A in all listed words.
-> Extra Features: In case of Arabic to Arabic dictionary, on screen keyboard can be provided to facilitate the user to type even when he or she does not have Arabic keyboard. Dictionary should have facility to allow other software developer to develop and attach external widgets such as typing tutor to allow learner how to type on Arabic key board. Its code should be open source code such as Linux Operating System so that a community of software developer can make different versions or can make it better adding more features or for various platform such as computer, mobile etc.
-> Copy Rights Issues: It should be free for people to use but it should be registered to stop people who sell it commercially unless they make it more better and modify it and get approval from its original owners and makers.
Users are welcome to add more functionality to these features given here. you can also send emails to me on asifhere@yahoo.com Ma as Salama. Asif
for basic arabic words from quran word list [1] arabic word - [2] English transcription - min [3] Quran verse with english translation: ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ Sahih International (2:3): Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them [4] real life example with English translation: ana min al hind - i am from india [5] other details: part of speech: preposition, Quran frequency: 3226 [6] future details: sound for all words or setenses, pictures
Some more features can be there such as: [1] User defined query such as *** means all words with three letters or *b? mean all words with second letter as 'b' with no fixed length. [2] Option to add new stuff from user such as word, picture, sound etc in existing database [3] option to bookmark learnt words [4] ability to choose sound of selected words and combine them into one mp3 file for listening skills for target words
There can be varied arabic pronunciations of same word in case there is change in arabic the way we have options in english dictionary such as british pronunciation or american pronunciation.
