Lexicography of the Syrian dialect of Arabic: Sources and dictionary

This study focuses on the development of an algorithm for constructing the vocabulary of a Syrian dialectal multimedia dictionary. The significance of this research stems from the inadequate representation of Syrian dialectal lexicon in existing lexicographical resources. The novelty lies in the creation of a universal model for an Arabic dialectal multimedia dictionary, using the Syrian dialect as a foundation, and in proposing a methodology for utilising film texts as a source of Arabic dialectal vocabulary, followed by the processing of this lexical material. The initial sample of dialectal lexical items comprised 100 words and was subsequently expanded to 1,500. The proposed multimedia dictionary project caters to the needs of diverse user categories by providing, for example, etymological, phonetic, grammatical, and semantic information about each lexical unit, visualisation of its concept, and supplementary semantisation through film discourse fragments. Encompassing both original Arabic words and borrowings from languages such as Syriac, Turkish, French, and English, the dictionary aims to reflect the lexical composition of the Syrian dialect and is geared towards enhancing the systematisation and lexicography of Arabic dialects in general. This endeavour makes a substantial contribution to the fields of linguistics and lexicography, while also promoting the preservation and study of Arabic dialects.