Customising the Language used to Display Cross-reference Types

form when cross-references are made to several items of the same type. See in this regard for instance Figures 14 and 15.

Customising the Language used to Display Cross-reference Types

Analogous to the attribute lists, to which any number of parallel lists can be linked, the crossreference types too may come in sets, and this for a multitude of useful purposes: • Firstly, where one might find the cross-reference texts written out in full in a multi-volume edition of a certain dictionary, one will try to shorten those reference markers for a pocket edition, either by abbreviating the texts, or through the use of symbols. To do this, one already needs three alternate/variant lists.

• Secondly, in a bilingual dictionary one may wish to be able to configure the cross-reference type information (e.g. “see”, “compare”) to be displayed in a different language (e.g. “bona”,

“bapetša” in Northern Sotho), depending on the dictionary’s target market. If this is done, it forms part of the framework to customise the language of the metalanguage. • Thirdly, when publishing in electronic or online media, one may wish to dynamically change the language used to display the cross-reference type information, depending on the preference of the dictionary user. For example, a mother-tongue speaker of Northern Sotho may prefer to see the cross-reference type labels in Northern Sotho. TLex allows you to create sets of alternate cross-reference type labels, in different formats and in different languages. In the screenshot below, three sets of display labels for cross-reference types have been prepared:

Figure 40: Configuring alternate sets of display labels for cross-reference types, for an explanatory Northern Sotho dictionary [Data online at: http://africanlanguages.com/psl/]

With the “Cross-references label set” setting under “Format (F4)”, illustrated below, one can then dynamically toggle between the sets of labels, and they will immediately change throughout the dictionary.

Figure 41: Selecting/using an alternate set of display labels for cross-reference types, for an explanatory Northern Sotho dictionary [Data online at: http://africanlanguages.com/psl/]