The time for poems and rhymes is coming again as Sinterklaas will soon set foot ashore. The needs of help sinterklaas, hobby rappers and aspiring poets are now being met. On Sunday afternoon, 12 November 2023, the Fryske Akademy, in collaboration with rapper/columnist Pieter Zijlstra and his friends, Sweder Oosterkamp and Teun de Vries, will present the 'rymwurdboek'. The presentation is at 15:00 at Neushoorn on the Ruiterskwartier in Leeuwarden.
The 'rymwurdboek' (rhyme dictionary) is an extension of Frysker.nl, the digital writing tool that offers help in drafting, spelling and translating Frisian texts. The rhyme dictionary can be accessed directly via Frysker.nl/rymje and fia rymwurdboek.nl.
For some time, the Fryske Akademy had a desire to do something with rhyme, but on a scientific basis. There was also a need in society. This was expressed earlier this year in a column by Pieter Zijlstra in the Leeuwarder Courant. Together with him and two of his friends, Teun de Vries and Sweder Oosterkamp, we worked on a first version that can be used by everyone from 12 November.
How it works
The rhyming dictionary is based on word lists and phonetic writing, the way sounds are recorded in language. After entering a rhyme word, the dictionary searches for words that rhyme in three steps. First, it determines which part of the rhyme word will be searched with. This is done based on the number of syllables, also taking into account mute sounds and the fact that some consonants are dropped in the phonetic alphabet. Then it looks at which words end up similar in sound. Finally, all results are filtered and sorted. The rhyming dictionary then looks at how often or words occur, whether they are obsolete, and whether they are preferred forms or variants. When sorting, it first groups by the number of syllables and then sorts by pure rhyme or semi-rhyme, internal matches, on the Frisian alphabet.
Half rhyme and future wishes
The rhyme dictionary works on the basis of fan Standard Frisian. It is also possible to search for 'half-rhyme'. Then it looks for sounds that are close to each other, such as 'ii' and 'ie' in 'priis' and 'Frisian'. Over time, the Fryske Akademy hopes to improve the rhyming dictionary by identifying even more forms of half-rhyme and also to pay attention to the diversity of regional pronunciations.
Register
Anyone wishing to get started with rhyming as soon as possible is welcome to attend the presentation on Sunday afternoon, 12 November 2023. Admission is free. However, registration in advance - by Thursday 9 November 2023 at the latest - is necessary. You can do so by sending a message to Eduard Drenth.