Picture dictionary

A picture dictionary or pictorial dictionary is a dictionary that uses photos or drawings to illustrate what the headwords mean. Picture dictionaries are useful in a variety of teaching environments, such as teaching a young child about their native language, and in foreign language instruction for children and adults such as the Culturally Authentic Pictorial Lexicon. Picture dictionaries are often organized by topic instead of being an alphabetic list of words. Picture dictionaries are almost always minimizing dictionaries, and only include a small corpus of words.

A similar but distinct concept is the visual dictionary. A picture dictionary usually contains a set of basic vocabulary, while a visual dictionary attempts to be a complete dictionary with an alphabetized index allowing you to find an illustration. In that illustration you can find the specific word you are looking for.

Hieroglyphic representation

In some languages, usually those of ancient origin - Chinese, Egyptian and some others - meaning of words are similar to hieroglyphs which they represent. For example, Chinese hieroglyph 'Sun' looks like sun, but somewhat stylized. Similarly, in egyptian language certain hieroglyphs represent concepts like seeing, walking etc. Idea is that one concept, idea, subject is also represented by images, pictures, and that is used in such ancient languages. However, there are certain limitations of pictorial dictionaries and as well of hieroglyphs (they are both advantages and/or disadvantages) - some abstract concepts cannot be easily represented. But as we know that there is nothing abstract and everything has reference in real life (though, something might be fiction, but still based on reality), thus pictorial/visual dictionaries are very useful, and as well hieroglyphical representation of certain concepts.

Pictorial dictionaries and computers

This idea of picture dictionary can be used in computers, especially with colorful/animated/3d graphics. Thus pictorial dictionary can become moving, animated, 3d, unlike those which are in books. This, anyway, is already done in many computer games. Much more easier to understand this concept when we remember computer icons - they have both image and text. So these pairs actually make up visual dictionary. One can find hundreds of computer-animated movies, cartoons etc, and they use computer graphics to represent ideas. And similarly it always happened in history that certain events first were recorder as texts, and then also they sometimes were represented visually as some pictures, sculptures etc. Simple concept is Comics this represents text narrated in book visually, in sequence, usually arranged chronologically. Sometimes events are also shown in different places at one time - this may be idea of Time machine. But anyway, not taking into account fields which are not directly related to knowledge representation by visual dictionaries, it can be said - they always existed. We can also see on walls of certain buildings or even some caves where depicted some events. So visual representation always took place. And now computers also make computer animation instead of handmade or performing personally as actor. See also: Animation, Cartoon.

Pictorial dictionaries and movies

This is known for past century that movies are made by screening people performing theater - usually that is based on some scenario - real or metaphorical (fictitious). So picture dictionaries were changed to cartoons and computer games. Some movies use both real people play and as well - computer effects. So this means that computer modelling have some advantages - sometimes certain events were in past which should not be imitated, but they are thus put into text or simply illustarions are used. See also: Screenwriting

One word - multiple meanings

Same words may or may not refer to different ideas/concepts/subjects. Not taking into account that many languages have words which sound similarly, but have different meaning (sometimes they even have same both sound and written form), but in any case, in context, if whole text is in one language, everything is clear - which language is used. It is very rare that one document have many languages in one small text. This can be a case of etymological reference, but anyway, in computer characters have different codes for different languages, so even if they look similarly - they still cannot be taken one for another. So computers represent editable text precisely, and its meaning can be found out easily from dictionary of that language. So pictorial dictionaries would refer to many pictures for one word - not only if concepts are different, but also if concepts is same, but have multiple instances. Suppose if one searches in Internet for some image - he would find so many images for one same word/text. However, computers are not meant to replace humans, so concept of artificial intelligence has only as much application as human can put intelligence into computer program. So similarly as it is not possible to make perpetuum mobile or time machine, thus artificial intelligence is also some materialistic utopia concept. Anyway, as knowledge representation is related to psychology - how ideas and concepts are represented in psychology (that also means soul), one may simply expect from computers that they help their users to find necessary information faster - using some visual methods like visual/picture dictionaries. Suppose, if we speak of first computers - we would see that they could represent just black-and-white graphics, and only text/numbers etc. But now they represent millions of colors, so same commands of computers are accompanied by icons (not to confuse with icons in religion). Of course, one one hand computer interface became much more complicated and sometimes not at all esthetically - so many colors on different websites, programs also do not use good colors for icons, however concept of pictorial dictionary is deeper as it has also educational value: idea must be represented precisely. This is especially important for children when they are shown pictures to define some words. However, this problem is also solved - edutainment programs already use many multimedia programs/technologies - flash, animation, even games so child can learn very fast by interacting interactive visual database put into it. Se also: Expert system, Knowledge base.

Many words - one concept/subject

Unlike previous approach to problem, this one is more realistic: we know that text means that subject (as Noun) is discussed, described (by Adjectives), its position in time and space is known (with help of Prepositions), and what is happening is usually described in chronological order in simple case, and in another order (supposedly if one asks and another answers - so description can be about something in different time and place, but conversation takes place chronologically somewhere and at some time) - by Verb. So in this case, approach is from point of view of computational linguistics creates tagged-text with tags for words which mean which part of speech is that. Even computer programs like automated text translation do this more or less precisely - at least for simple text, for those which are written without mistakes, and if there is database/expert system. One cannot, of course, expect that computer would make something intelligent - if there is no right computer program (algorithm), so this approach is also semi-automatic. Automatically program creates pairs for words and images, and that is based on knowledge base or expert system, which is put into computer by user. Similarly one has something in memory, from point of view of psychology - and that also requires training, not that one can learn high mathematics without knowing arithmetics for example. But actually if we speak from point of view of philosophy of psychology (also of representation of knowledge and its visualization, modeling) - we can also say that there is need of some precision to some extend only not to waste time for secondary discussions. So, if there is one subject discussed, thus it is very easy to refer to it many times in text. When text is narrated, one can easily know - who is to be described, all circumstances, time etc- if that is needed to be discussed by narrator - that is included in original text, but one is not expected to show something by pictorial dictionary something which is not present in original text. If word has multiple meaning - that is normal, and one refers to dictionary. And when there is text - this misunderstanding goes away, because words are arranged logically, grammatically etc. So, visually this is represented in movies: when some book is put into screening, it is simply done by certain actors, and certain scene is also modeled - in real life, or using computer effects (this may be cheaper as now there are many free programs as well - at least less time consuming). And taking into account that so much money is spent to make movies, this kind of program - to make animated pictorial dictionary, which arranges words according to events (verbs) and time/place descriptions (prepositions), based on skins (adjectives) - this program can be much cheaper solution for many to read texts, books and to know what are they about and at least to know core ideas. Of course, to make it in a way that program automatically reads text and gives out movie based on pictorial dictionaries required Part-of-Speech tagging, but if that is done properly, there are high chances to see what is text about visually. There are many computer games which model some world, but if that would use some tagged-text as source - that may look more useful. See: Games programming, Graphics programming

Examples of usage

For example, same concept of sun can be represented with one image which is easily recognized by anyone speaking any language:

Arrangement of ideas

Concepts/subjects/Nouns may be arranged by prepositions. Words like and, or which refer to logical arrangement in time and space, are very easily understood if we know what they refer to - one word or words combination. Suppose, saying "smiling sun and cloud" means that "and" word here refers to smiling "sun" and cloud both, but even if there is no word smiling, and word still has same meaning. This simple phrase is tagged as:

Word:	Smiling	sun	and	cloud
Tags:	Adjective	Noun	Logical conjunction	Noun
Image:

and it results in image:

Disambiguition

As mentioned above - one word may have different meanings. This same word smiling may refer to sun only, or to sun and cloud both. Sometimes even human cannot understand exact meaning of some phrase, so in such case result of computer program would also be unknown or unpredicted. Anyway, this is limit of computer technologies, and matter as well, so we cannot expect more from computer programs (at least nowadays).

Prepositions arrangement

Prepositions arrange Nouns/subjects in time and space. Pictorial dictionary of prepositions can be easily found on internet or made by own. Simple prepositions like on/above and under/below make a great deal. However, limitation is two-dimensional space. This is also solved in 3d computer graphics, so ideas/subjects are described in time according to x, y, and z coordinates. When speaking about animation/cartoon programs (there are also some free), there is also added some time 'coordinate' - t. So here problem arises - when ideas are arranged not in horizontal line (it would mean that they are one after another on the right, however - usually true for time coordinate), but arranged in space. It is still more complicated/complex when there are multiple subjects and objects. Subject would usually refer to living being, and object to non-living (without soul). Even some nonmoving objects are to be considered subjects because they are alive (have souls) - grow etc - different plants - trees, grass etc. Anyway, as this is more philosophical and sometimes mythological problem, there is no much need to go into deep details again. For example, "sun above cloud" is represented thus (see image on left). On other hand, certain words like prepositions and conjunctions, subjunctions are usually not necessary to be represented, so words above is faded to back-color.

See also

• Hieroglyph
• Visual dictionary
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Chinese character
• Knowledge visualization
• Icon
• Artificial intelligence

External links

• A minimizing English dictionary with pictures
• A full English dictionary with pictures