Open access web-based dictionaries are paramount tools in the battle to preserve linguistic diversity in the digital age. In an effort to sustain the local language, the University of Iceland (UoI) developed a high quality web-based lexical database, counting some 50.000 words and expressions with numerous illustrations and examples. Open access dictionaries online towards Danish, Swedish and Norwegian have already been developed in cooperation with Nordic universities. The specificity of the ISLEX database resides in the fact that it can be used both ways. As an example, one can search for a Norwegian word in the Icelandic-Norwegian dictionary, something that cannot be done in a traditional dictionary. This feature will be further developed in order to reverse the dictionaries, thus enhancing their usefulness. The LEXIA project will build on the Nordic experience to expand it to more languages, starting by French. In parallel, the ground will be laid to launch cooperation agreements with universities in Spain and in Germany. The dissemination of expertise also involves organizing courses on MA-level in theoretical lexicography in the partner universities. Finally, while this is not an immediate concern of the project, the partner universities would welcome any opportunity to dispense knowledge on building lexicographical databases, in particular for languages spoken by few. The main responsibility and project management will be in the hand of the UoI and the two research centres involved in the project: The Árni Magnússon Institute of Icelandic Studies is the main platform of the project. The ISLEX lexicographical database was developed within the institute and its lexicographical team will be central in the work, dispensing technical support and linguistics consulting. The Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages is the managing partner of the project. The institute, in cooperation with the partner universities, will establish the target language team and organize courses in theoretical lexicography on MA-level at the UoI and at the University Paris-Sorbonne (UPS). The University of Gothenburg (UGOT) will play a crucial role as the consulting member of the overall project. The Swedish partners worked with the Icelandic team on the ISLEX Icelandic-Swedish dictionary and their know-how will be useful for expanding the project to other languages. Their experience will also be appreciated in designing and carrying out the courses in lexicography. The UGOT will lead a starting seminar with the lexicographical team and will intervene in the various phases of the project, dispensing their expertise as needed, in particular in the field of bilingual lexicography of today. The university´s research on the fundamental changes of the discipline brought on by the new electronic media brings added value to the project. The UPS has a section of Germanic and Nordic Studies where Icelandic is among the languages taught. As a pilot project was conducted with success in 2014 and as the French State has given a grant to the continued work, the Icelandic-French dictionary is an obvious starting point. At a later stage, Spanish and German will be added as target languages. Hence, the specialists of Spanish and German linguistics and lexicography at the UoI will be involved from the start with the aim to build expertise for subsequent use in cooperation with their target language partner universities. While the daily work will consist of the building of lexicographical entries, the scientific research part of the project involves attempts to extend the lexicographical database to include phraseological entries. In addition, the team will complete the description of the source language material, adapting it to the function of target language when the dictionary is reversed. The lexicographers are: Halldóra Jónsdóttir, Project Manager, UoI Þórdís Úlfarsdóttir, Editor, UoI Rósa E. Davíðsdóttir, PhD candidate in French lexicography at the UPS and the UoI (co-tutelle) Jean-Christophe Salaün Translator Anna Hannesdóttir, Professor, Head of the Centre for Lexicology and Lexicography, UGOT Karl Gadelii, Professor of Scandinavian Linguistics, UPS Sylvain Briens, Professor of Scandinavian Literature and Cultural History, UPS Erla Erlendsdóttir, Associate Professor of Spanish, UoI Oddný G. Sverrisdóttir, Professor of German, UoI The team members will meet once or twice a year for working meetings or working seminars. What makes the LEXIA project different from other initiatives in this area is the malleable nature of a single web-based lexicographical database which renders it expandable ad aeternam, both in terms of the width and depth of the lexicographical database and in terms of the number of target languages that can be included. In addition, the high quality products are and will be in open access as the project is not for profit, but with the deliberate agenda to promote linguistic diversity.
Open access web-based dictionaries are paramount tools in the battle to preserve linguistic diversity in the digital age. In an effort to sustain the local language, Icelandic, the University of Iceland (UoI) developed a high quality web-based dictionary database. Within its 50.000 articles, there is a large number of examples of use (31.500) and fixed expressions and collocations (10.000), all of which are translated into the target language, French. This database has already been used to develop open access online dictionaries, ISLEX, between Icelandic as a source language and Danish, Swedish and Norwegian as target languages in cooperation with Nordic universities (www.islex.is). The dictionary was opened to the public in November 2011. An Icelandic-Faroese dictionary was added at a later date and opened in March 2015 and an Icelandic-Finnish dictionary was launched in March 2018. The LEXIA project builds on the Nordic experience to expand it to more languages, starting by French were the need is sorely felt since the only existing Icelandic-French dictionary dates from 1950 and is outdated. The aim is to add more target languages to the LEXIA dictionary at later stages, the priorities being Spanish and German. The second main objective of the LEXIA project was to combine the elaboration of the dictionary with the organization and implementation of courses in theoretical lexicography at University of Sorbonne and University of Iceland. Three universities were involved in the project: University of Iceland (UoI), University Paris-Sorbonne (UPS) and the University of Gothenburg (UGOT). The main responsibility and project management was in the hand of the University of Iceland and the two research centres involved in the project: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies is the main platform of the dictionary project. The Icelandic lexicographical database was developed within the institute and its lexicographical team is central in the work, dispensing technical support and linguistics consulting. The project has benefitted largely from the fact that the lexicographical database is constantly being updated as needed, e.g. by making corrections and adding new headwords and sometimes new examples of use. The Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages is the managing partner of the project. The institute, in cooperation with the partner universities, established the target language team and organized courses in theoretical lexicography at the UoI and at the University Paris-Sorbonne (UPS). The University of Gothenburg (UGOT) played a crucial role as the consulting member of the overall project. The Swedish partners worked with the Icelandic team on the ISLEX Icelandic-Swedish dictionary and their know-how was useful for expanding the project to other languages. The UPS has a section of Germanic and Nordic Studies where Icelandic is among the languages taught. As a pilot project involving the elaboration of 3000 articles was conducted with success in 2014 and as the French State has given a grant to the continued work, the Icelandic-French dictionary is an obvious starting point. The lexicographers and others members of the team are: Halldóra Jónsdóttir, Project Manager, UoI, Þórdís Úlfarsdóttir, Editor, UoI, Rósa E. Davíðsdóttir, PhD in Lexicography at the UPS and the UoI, Anna H. Hannesdóttir, Professor, Head of the Centre for Lexicology and Lexicography, UGOT, Karl Gadelii, Professor of Scandinavian Linguistics, UPS, Jean-Christophe Salaün, Translator, UPS, François Heenen, Associate Professor of French, UoI, Áslaug Marinósdóttir, Linguist, Ólöf Pétursdóttir, Translator, Sigurbjörg Eðvarðsdóttir, French teacher. At a later stage, the aim is to add Spanish and German as target languages. Hence, the specialists of Spanish and German linguistics and lexicography at the UoI (Erla Erlendsdóttir, Professor of Spanish and Magnús Sigurðsson, Associate Professor of German) were involved from the start with the aim to build expertise for subsequent use in cooperation with their target language partner universities. The main activities involved the lexicographical work, on the one hand, and the organization and carrying out of courses in lexicography on the other. The courses in lexicography were organized as follows: fall 2016 and fall 2017 course at the UoI and spring 2017 and spring 2018 course at the UPS. The team members met once a year for working meetings or working seminars (three transnational project meetings) which permitted to organize the teaching and training part as well the lexicographical work and to discuss problems encounterd in the work on the target language, French and to find solutions and coordinate the methodology. The LEXIA dictionary is an innovative project, designed to serve as many users as possible. It is aimed at the general public and will be in open access for users at local, regional and international level.