Forschung und wissenschaftliches Rechnen - Beiträge zum - GWDG

world’s languages available to a large audience, including interested nonlinguists
as well as linguists unfamiliar with the specialized literature on
particular ‘exotic’ languages. However, the printed maps allow for only one
unchangeable visualization of the data. To allow for a more flexible usage
of the information supplied in the atlas, The Interactive Reference Tool was
developed.
2. The Interactive Reference Tool
The Interactive Reference Tool (IRT, available on CD-ROM with the
published atlas) has three main functions: customizing the display of the
maps, providing complete reference to the languages displayed, and
supplying open queries throughout all the data available. All these functions
are implemented in an intuitively understandable way, so that even nonsophisticated
users and non-linguists will be able to use the IRT, without
much effort or training. (An inspection of the ‘guided tour’, as supplied
with the program, should be sufficient to understand the majority of its
functions.)
First, the IRT allows the user to view the maps (as supplied in the printed
atlas) in a variety of different forms. The interactive maps can be zoomed
and panned, dot colors and shapes can be customized, and various
geographic properties (like rivers, country names, topology, etc.) can be
shown. Missing information based on the user’s own data can be added
through an import function and customized maps can be saved, printed and
exported for usage in publications or presentations. Further, for each dot on
the interactive maps, the corresponding language name is shown with the
‘mouse-over’ effect, and with a click on the dot a language profile (see
below) appears in a separate window. Additionally, the different types of
languages, as distinguished on a particular map, can be grouped. For
example, a map showing five different types of languages can be
transformed at will by combining any subgroup of these five types into one
class, thus allowing the user to inspect the geographical distribution of
overarching groups of characteristics.
Second, the IRT contains additional information on all 2,560 languages
included in the atlas. There is information on genealogical classification,
alternative names, geographical location and more than 6,700 references to
the literature used. This information is summarized in the language profile
of a particular language, together with a list of all maps in which the
language in question appears and the type of this language in this map.
Moreover, for almost all information points (viz. each combination of
language, map, and language-type) there is additional information in the
form of an exact bibliographical reference (down to the page numbers from
which the information is taken), and many points additionally contain
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