Project:Phrasebook
The phrasebook is a set of criteria for inclusion of The Languages of David J. Peterson entries, based on utility, simplicity and commonality. The phrasebook also refers to any set of terms that meet these criteria.
Treatment
The phrasebook is made up of entries in the main namespace for common phrases in various languages, even if these phrases are semantic sums of parts such as "I love you", "what is your name?" and "how much is it?".
- For example, I love you is a very common phrase in English. Although entirely comprehensible from the sum of its parts, putting "I love you" in the phrasebook allows the user to look up the translation into many languages.
Title
Subject and object
For simplicity reasons, when a grammatical subject is necessary for a phrasebook entry, it is the speaker; similarly, when a grammatical object is necessary, it is the interlocutor.
- For example, "I love you" is a proper phrasebook entry; on the other hand, "he loves her", "she loves me" and "they love everybody" are not.
Note: Some exceptions, such as "he's unconscious", may be kept, depending on the context.
Formality
When possible, orders and requests should always be accompanied by please, or its foreign language counterparts, in phrasebook entries.
Orthography
Abbreviations (e.g. I'm = I am) are accepted if they are common, e.g. I'm hungry.
Numbers must be written as words, e.g. I'm twenty years old, not "I'm 20 years old"; but quotations with a number are sufficient for a phrasebook entry to merit inclusion.
Incomplete sentences
While most phrasebook titles are related to complete sentences such as I love you and I'm hungry, there are some concepts which may be expanded through various possibilities, like I'm ... year(s) old for any age as opposed to specific ages. Other examples are how do you say...in English and my name is, which also serve as guides to how different words could fit into these phrases.
Scope
The specific groups of entries that may or may not be added into the The Languages of David J. Peterson phrasebook are still subject of controversy. Categories of phrasebook entries to be accepted in English as well as other languages include:
- Basic etiquette.
- Examples: thank you very much, excuse me, I'm sorry.
- Greetings.
- Examples: hello, good evening, how are you|how are you?.
- Bodily states.
- Examples: I'm hungry, I'm tired, I'm bleeding, I'm sick.
- Bodily characteristics.
- Examples: I'm allergic to aspirin, I'm blind.
- Personal information.
- Examples: I'm married, are you married?, do you have children|do you have children?, what is your phone number|what is your phone number?.
- Communication.
- Examples: please say that again, please speak more slowly, please repeat after me.
- Proficiency in specific languages.
- Examples: I don't speak English, do you speak English|do you speak English?.
- Treatment: These phrases are accepted when expressing proficiency in common languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese and German. Rare or extinct languages such as Middle French, Sogdian and Suppyire are not accepted. A common criterion of commonness is whether these phrases may be attested by three independent sources as described by WT:CFI|CFI.
- Commerce.
- Examples: do you accept credit cards|do you accept credit cards?, how much is it|how much is it?
- Places and directions.
- Examples: how do I get to the airport|how do I get to the airport?, where does this bus go|where does this bus go?, please turn right.
- Warnings.
- Examples: caution – slippery when wet, high voltage, keep out|please keep out!
Organization
Sets of phrasebook entries may be linked in appendices, usually organized by language or by subject; there is also the more extreme suggestion of moving all phrasebook contents from entries into appendices.
A phrasebook entry should be categorized in the related phrasebook category of its language: Category:English phrasebook, Category:German phrasebook and so on. There are also subdivisions such as Category:English phrasebook/Emergencies.