Version: 1.0.0-beta Author: Ismael Correa Castro (ORCID 0009-0007-3815-7053) Last updated: 2023-07-31
Created Words Document, of acronym CWD, is an XML file format that allows to create files of new words. A new word is any new word created not included in the official dictionary of the language, but useful for some, or a big amount, of purposes. Also, CWD allows to create new bywords and new prefixes.
CWD allows to create creawords or created words, which are defined as words created expressly by the mind, not naturally as common words, and then not registered on the official dictionary of the language of which the invented word now belongs.
By contrast, a natural word is a word that naturally is present on the human language.
A glossary is defined, in english, in his official dictionary, as a catalogue of words of the same discipline.
A creaglossary or created glossary is defined here, as part of CWD, as a glossary invented expressly by humans, by thinking each word, instead of being a natural one.
The rules, which are mandatory to follow in order to don't break the language, for creating new words are the following:
- The word can’t be already defined inside the official dictionary or any important glossary being massively used.
- The definition can’t be another word, as synonym, it must be explained.
The guidelines for creating new words, which are not mandatory but highly recommend to respect, are the following:
- The word shouldn’t be created if the author doesn’t knows deeply the language of the word. If it’s needed to translate a creaword of another language it’s better to search for a translator that is expert on the required language rather than trying to create the new word alone.
- The word shouldn’t have synonyms or antonyms, unless it’s strictly necessary.
The words created with CWD have the following properties:
- name: The word.
- type: If the word is a sustantive, adjective, verb or adverb.
- singular: The singular form of the word. It’s specified as the name. The singular form has a masculine and a femenine form sometimes, sometimes is has only one form.
- plural: The plural form of the word. The plural form can also have a masculine and a femenine form.
- description: The meaning of the word.
- etymology: The words that form the word, if the word has an etymology.
- synonym: If there’re, the words which are synonyms of this word.
- antonym: If there’re, the words which are antonyms of this word.
- parent: If there’s, a word that’s a parent of this word, and then this word pertains to an ontology of words and/or bywords.
The prefixes created with CWD have the following properties:
- name: The prefix.
- description: What the prefix adds as a meaning to a word.
- etymology: The words from which the prefix has been created, if there are.
The bywords created with CWD have the following properties:
- name: The byword.
- description: What the byword means.
- singular: The singular form of the byword.
- plural: The plural form of the byword.
- synonym: If there’re, the words and/or bywords which are synonyms of this byword.
- antonym: If there’re, the words and/or bywords which are antonyms of this byword.
- parent: If there’s, a byword that’s a parent of this word, and then this word pertains to an ontology of words and/or bywords.
The XML elements for cwd files are the following:
| XML element | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|
| <dictionary> | Required, top level | Top-level element to create cwd words inside |
| <word> | Optional, any number | Creates a new word |
| <prefix> | Optional, any number | Creates a new prefix |
| <byword> | Optional, any number | Creates a new byword |
| <category> | Optional, any number | Creates a new category of words, prefixes and bywords |
A dictionary is the top level element of a cwd file.
A word is created inside a cwd file as follows:
<word name="worda" type="sustantive">
<en singular="worda" plural="wordsa" etymology="word,a">This is an example word.</en>
<es singular="palabraa" plural="palabrasa" etymology="palabra,a">Ésta es una palabra de ejemplo.</es>
</word>The tags for each definition, in each language, have as name the acronym of that language as specified in the ISO of Languages called ISO 639. It’s used the two letter code ISO 639-1.
The attributes of each word are the following:
| Attribute | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| name | Required | The word |
| type | Required | If the word is a sustantive, adjective, verb or adverb |
| singular | Required | The word in singular form |
| plural | Required | The word in plural form |
| etymology | Required | The etymology of the word. Each word that forms this word is specified in this attribute. If there's no etymology, it has to be empty |
| synonym | Optional | Every synonym of the word |
| antonym | Optional | Every antonym of the word |
| parent | Optional | The direct parent of this word, if this word is part of an ontology |
A byword is like a word, but it's composed of two or more different words, and has a special meaning compared to the meaning of the two words without the definition of the byword.
An example of a byword is the following:
<byword name="rolics researcher">
<en name="rolics researcher" plural="rolics researchers">Synonym of rolic.</en>
<es name="investigador de rólica" plural="investigadores de rólica">Sinónimo de rólico.</es>
</byword>The attributes of each byword are the following:
| Attribute | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| name | Required | The byword |
| singular | Required | The byword in singular form |
| plural | Required | The byword in plural form |
| synonym | Optional | Every synonym of the byword |
| antonym | Optional | Every antonym of the byword |
| parent | Optional | The direct parent of this byword, if this byword is part of an ontology |
A prefix is used to give meaning to a word related to some central idea. It means that the word is related to that meaning in some manner.
An example of a prefix is the following:
<prefix name="rol-">
<en name="rol-">The word it precedes is related to rolics.</en>
<es name="rol-">La palabra a la que precede está relacionada con la rólica.</es>
</prefix>The attributes of each prefix are the following:
| Attribute | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| name | Required | The prefix |
| etymology | Optional | The etymology of the prefix |
A category is used to group words, bywords and prefixes. It's useful to have all related definitions grouped inside a central idea. Then, it can be used to display all the words, bywords and prefixes by category inside a document.
An example of a category is the following:
<category name="rólica" canonical_name="rolica">
...
</category>Inside <category> any number of xml elements <word>, <byword> and <prefix> can be added.
The attributes of each category are the following:
| Attribute | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| name | Required | The name of the category |
| canonical_name | Optional | The name, canonicalized, of the category |
The history of CWD is the following. It was 2007, I was thinking about RPG games and there was then a problem with the words of that area of entertainment. There were a good amount of words that were lacking, at least in spanish, which is the language that I use daily. On spanish, there’s no word to differentiate a RPG system, of which I’ve invented the word, in spanish, “rolsi”, for it, related to an RPG game. An RPG system is the system that is used to play an RPG game, the rules, the ambientation of the RPG games created with that RPG system, and any other element of the RPG game. The RPG game is, instead, the specific adventure, created with an RPG system (strictly, it can be used more than one), consisting of stages, characters, objects, and a background history, that the role players play. This confusion of words was important, and CWD has been created in order to define appropriately the words that were solving it.