The George Washington University JWord 3.0

JWord Download Instructions

Introduction
JWord is a Java browser for word relationships and information about words in the English language. Currently, JWord uses three data sources (WordNet, Roget's thesaurus and words from The English Tree of Roots). JWord is written in Java, using JWordNet for the WordNet data and custom code for the other sources.

WordNet is an extensive English-language word database developed by Princeton University faculty and students over the last thirty years. The database defines relationships between words in a variety of ways and has two main advantages over the common thesaurus. One advantage is the way it stores related data: it links related words in a structure defined as a synonym set to save space. The other advantage is that it avoids a simple mapping of words based on definitions. Instead, WordNet also relates words based on colloquial usage, pertinence to other words, and numerous other methods developed by cognitive scientists and lexicographers.

However, WordNet's vocabulary is smaller than other "word" databases and Wordnet is hardly the only electronic source of word relationships. Thus, we thought, why not build a tool and framework that will allow developers to pull together word relationships from a variety of sources? This is what you get with JWord:

• For users, we have a simple tool that lets you navigate word relationships using three different sources: (1) WordNet, (2) Roget's thesaurus, and (3) Horace Danner's book on etymology (The English Tree of Roots).
• For developers, we have created a Java API that they can use to write Java "drivers" for their own data sources. We have of course, provided drivers for the above three sources.
• For developers who want to take JWord to the next level (a better GUI!), we provide complete source under the usual "as is" license.

Can I Help?
JWord is written in Java with the capability to load custom plug-ins. If you can program in Java and have a dictionary file or database you feel would benefit JWord users please view our Guide to Writing a JWord Driver.

Personnel
JWord was developed by GW student Kunal Johar under the supervision of Prof. Rahul Simha, Department of Computer Science.

For Developers

• Download the source.
• JWord is provided as-is, open-source, and may be freely modified and distributed under the Apache License. See the README and LICENSE files in the source for additional information and for related licenses (JWordNet, WordNet).