Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Ma'agarim database

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I have just received an advert about the Ma'agarim database available free here. It is a bit like an equivalent of the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae but for post-biblical Hebrew to the 11th century. The user interface is all in Hebrew, but it will not take too long to learn how to use it. It claims to be based on a 9 million word corpus, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, inscriptions, and masorah.

It sounds like the free demo version may not be eternally available, so get searching.

1 comment

  1. The demo may be up a long time. It is 'limited' in scope. One must subscribe for the full version. For the moment, the databases already available through Bar Ilan may provide practical equivalency. Not having access to the full Hebrew Language Academy maagarim, I can't make a comparison.

    The Hebrew Language Academy in priniciple uses av texts. They determine the best text and use it for their database. Codex Kaufmann for the Mishna, of course. Maybe Marshall Oxf 24 for Mechilta, I don't remember. It's been over a decade since I was using their microfiche production of this material. I don't know where my portable microfiche reader is anymore, nor my set of Historical Hebrew Dictionary microfiche. It was always a pain to set up, but rewarding when scanning down those lists, like examining the occurrences of adan 'person' [for adam] in Kaufmann, or meqayyem in Mechilta.

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