Wiktionary rivals major dictionaries in mapping English Dialects
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Researchers evaluated Wiktionary, the free online dictionary, as a source for tracking variations in English dialects across the globe.
They conducted a two-part study beginning with a detailed look at the dictionary’s coverage of 12 national varieties of English. The analysis revealed Wiktionary’s regional and “Outer Circle” English coverage, varieties spoken in countries where English isn't the primary language, meets or surpasses that of the Oxford English Dictionary.
The team specifically examined New Zealand English, finding a strong correlation, a correlation coefficient of 0.883, between Wiktionary’s entries and those in the Oxford English Dictionary regarding how words are formed. This suggests Wiktionary accurately reflects established patterns of language in that region. They then tested the dictionary’s real-world accuracy by comparing its entries to language used in geo-located social media posts. This comparison also showed strong agreement between the crowdsourced lexicon and actual online language use.
The researchers note challenges in assessing dialect resources, including the influence of language contact, when languages blend, and differing styles of writing found online. Future work may focus on refining methods for evaluating dialect-aware language tools and acknowledging the complex factors shaping regional language variations.
