Development of a Dictionary Writing System for an Explanatory Dictionary

Nowadays dictionary making process has become faster than it ever was. Dictionary Writing Systems let the authors escape formatting routine and concentrate on the content of the dictionary they are writing. But available systems are mostly outdated and too complicated to use. This opens up space for creating a new easy system to correspond the needs of lexicographers. This project focuses on creating such a system on the basis of Active Dictionary of Russian Language with a potential to be expanded for other explanatory dictionaries of different languages. The goal of the project is a tool that is easy to use, free to use, permits collaboration between authors and is practical in terms of exporting data both for online and paper publication. Active Dictionary Writing System will be implemented at V.V. Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the group of authors of Active Dictionary of Russian. Overall, ADWS opens the way for faster dictionary entry editing, permits to make less misprints and does not allow any flaws in the structure of dictionary entries. Development of dictionary writing systems is an essential part of computer lexicography which stimulates the increase of lexicographic activity, and hopefully ADWS now joins this type of tool.