RESEARCH CENTER
FOR MODERN GREEK DIALECTS and IDIOMS - I.L.N.E.
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CARD ARCHIVE

Content of the Card Archive

The Card Archive includes the registered language material of the manuscript collections in addition to dialectal material by other sources (magazines, glossaries, studies, literary texts etc). Every card includes the form of the word (e.g. γ’ρούν’),the region where the form is used and the lemma to which it belongs (e.g. γουρούνι). The source is also cited (e.g. number and page of the manuscript, detailed bibliographic references in case of a printed source etc.). Usually the card contains additional information pertaining to the etymology, meaning and use of the word as well as typical examples of use.

The cards are ordered alphabetically per lemma. The form-lemma γουρούνι, for instance, includes all dialectal forms of the word, that have been recorded (e.g. ’γ’ρούν’, γουρούν’, ’ουρούν’, γκουρούνι etc).

Size of the Card Archive

The operation of the Card Archive started with the foundation of the Center and comprises three parts:

  1. the part where the printed lemmas of the Dictionary have been archived (α-δαχτυλωτός), which includes approximately 325.000 cards.
  2. the Annex, where complementary material for the printed version has been archived, which was collected after their publication. It counts approximately 400.000 cards and is constantly being enriched.
  3. the main part, which includes the lemmas from “δε” onwards. It includes approximately 3.000.000 cards and is constantly being enriched with new material.

Condition and digitisation of the Archive Card

The only way to rescue the Archive is the digitisation of the cards, however scanning and documenting the Archive is not an easy process. A number of difficulties are encountered primarily due to the heterogeneous size of the cards, the variety of the paper quality, the handwritten forms and the vast variety of diverse handwriting styles, information coding and -most importantly- the ravages of time. It is characteristically reported that many of the older cards, particularly those registered during the German occupation, have been written in small pieces of paper, in newspaper margins, in voting papers, in already printed paper etc.