WikiPOBia:Lexicon project

From WikiPOBia

Patrick O'Brian's writings, particularly the Aubrey-Maturin novels are a rich source of specialized vocabulary. The Lexicon project is an attempt to make sense of this for the reader who may not be an expert in sailing, medicine or talking foreign. The Lexicon will exist in a separate namespace (Lexicon:) on WikiPOBia, which will help avoid naming conflicts and allow readers to better focus searches for definitions.

Several subprojects are well under way and have been built on resources already available on the web. Contact Jblumel if you'd like to work on the Lexicon Project or one of its subprojects, or own one of the subprojects.

Lexicon Database

The Lexicon Database project is on hold indefinitely, due to server issues.

Work has started on a database project to allow us to record, with page citations and other information, the nautical terms used throughout the Aubrey/Maturin novels, as well as The Unknown Shore and The Golden Ocean. Entries in this database will eventually be exported to WikiPOBia. The database will also support other Lexicon subprojects and the goal is to have it as the central repository for all Lexicon entries. While this might not be considered a wiki-like approach to the matter, it has the advantage of allowing us to easily standardize the information provided and the format in which it is presented, and it is believed that it will also be the fastest and most effective way of collecting, verifying the accuracy of and dissemenating this information. Watch this page for more details on the progress of the Lexicon database project.

A Guide for the Perplexed

Assembled by Anthony Gary Brown, with the help of numerous contibutors, A Guide for the Perplexed is an attempt to identify and translate all the foreign (non-english) words and phrases that appear in the Aubrey-Maturin novels, The Golden Ocean and The Unknown Shore.

The translations from A Guide for the Perplexed have been parsed into individual articles that will be added to the WikiPOBia Lexicon. These articles have been cross referenced as well as possible and include references to the novels where the entries appear, including page numbers, as provided in the Guide for the perplexed. They have also been extensively categorized to make it easier to focus on a particular book or language.

These articles have been uploaded and can be browsed starting at Category:Guide for the Perplexed. See Lexicon:Adagio for an example of these Lexicon entries.

Contact Jblumel if you'd like to work on this subproject.

Maturin's Medicine

Kerry Webb's Maturin's Medicine provides definitions of all the known medical terms appearing in the Aubrey-Maturin novels. The definitions are, of course, current as of 1800.

The definitions from Maturin's Medicine have been parsed into individual articles that will be added to the WikiPOBia Lexicon. These articles have been cross referenced as well as possible and include references to the novels where the entries appear, including page numbers, as provided. They have also been extensively categorized to make it easier to focus on a particular book.

These articles have been uploaded and can be browsed starting at Category:Maturin's Medicine. See Lexicon:Yellow fever for an example of these Lexicon entries.

Contact Jblumel if you'd like to work on this subproject.

Nautical Terms

There are a few Nautical Lexicons on the Gunroom site, and other's floating around the web, but we are not aware of any that is a comprehensive attempt to identify and define all of the nautical terms appearing in POB's sailing fiction. It would be invaluable to have such a guide as part of WikiPOBia and volunteers are definitely needed for this effort.