CAWL in FLEx

1700 SILCAWL Starter database for FLEx

Robert Hedinger

Note: January 26, 2022. Larry Hayashi.
New version of SILCAWL lift available in File attachments at the bottom of this article. The previous LIFT file had ids on senses that caused issues with recent software that interacts with LIFT files (TheCombine.app) and potentially other LIFT-centered processes. Download SILCAWLv02.zip. Unzip the file which includes a folder for the SILCAWLv02.lift file. Follow the directions below. 

Introduction

The following are instructions for installing the SIL Comparative African Wordlist (SILCAWL) in FLEx for wordlist collection, followed by doing phonological analysis with Phonology Assistant (PA) and PTEST.

Download SILCAWLv02.zip from the list of files at the bottom of this article. 
Note that the zip file includes a folder SILCAWLv02 with SILCAWLv02.lift inside of it. The folder is necessary for LIFT import processes into FieldWorks. FieldWorks looks in the path of the lift file for the presence of other related lift files. If your lift file is in your Downloads folder or on your desktop,  FieldWorks will likely halt the import with an error as it tries to find those other files (Downloads and Desktops tend to have LOTS of files). Keep SILCAWLv02.lift inside of the folder.

There are two ways to install it.

1. Add the wordlist to an existing project.

2. Add the wordlist to a new project.

The two are presented in turn.

Fonts and Keyboards

Make sure Charis SIL Compact and Doulos SIL Compact1 fonts are installed, as well as the Keyboards for IPA and for the writing system for your language.

1      Adding the 1700 SILCAWL to an existing project

1.1    Add the 1700 SILCAWL database

Open FLEx.

Back up your project.

Selecting menu File->Import->LIFT Lexicon…. This will open a dialog box:

Read the dialog box carefully. If you didn’t back up before, you can take the opportunity to do so here.

If your project already has lexicon data, choose carefully what to do when entries in the SILCAWL to be imported could conflict with data already in your project.Click on the Browse… button to select the SILCAWL Lexicon to be imported.Click on OK to complete the import.

When the import finishes, a page will be opened in your web browser reporting how many entries were processed (1700) and how many entries and senses were added or deleted from the project (1700 entries and senses added, 0 deleted if your project had no data to start with; it may be different depending on your import choices if you already had some data). It will also report what parts of speech and writing systems were added to the language project.

Since the SILCAWL includes several writing systems of limited interest, you will want to stop them from appearing in the various entries. To do this, go to menu Format->Setup Writing Systems…. This will open a dialog box:

In addition to your project’s Vernacular Writing System(s) and Analysis Writing System(s), you will see a large number of other writing systems. Simply select each writing system that does not interest you and click on the appropriate Hide button to the right (note: there is one Hide button to hide a Vernacular Writing System and another to hide an Analysis Writing System).

Click OK when only the writing systems you want to use are left.

1.2    Sorting by number in the SILCAWL

The 1700 SILCAWL is numbered to maintain its semantic ordering. To access this ordering in FLEx, you will need to configure the entries view to include and sort by the SILCAWL field. To do this:

1. Go to menu Tools->Configure Columns….

2. Scroll through the Column Options at the left and select the SILCAWL field.
3. Click on Add>>
4. Click on the up arrow until the field appears where you want it in Current Columns.
5. Click OK.
6. Click on the column heading SILCAWL to sort by that field (click again to toggle between ascending and descending sort).

1.3    Distinguishing between SILCAWL and other data

If you need to distinguish between SILCAWL data and other lexicon data that you may have entered, you should be able to do this using the filters at the top of the SILCAWL column. All SILCAWL data has a number in this field; non-SILCAWL data should be blank. So you can restrict the view to only SILCAWL data by choosing Non-blanks in the drop-down box, or to non-SILCAWL data by choosing Blanks.

Now arrange the screen layout (see section 3 below).

2      Set up the 1700 SILCAWL for a new language

Open FLEx.

Set up a new project for the language you want to work on.

Add the writing system(s) for your language.

Add an IPA writing system for the same language.

Import the SILCAWL.lift file from Import > Lift

Hide the irrelevant Analysis language(s):

(In this database glosses are available in English, French, Swahili, Hausa, Hausa (CL), etc.) Note: once I have instructions as to how to delete (not hide) a writing system I this should be modified.