2009 01/04

Shahi: The visual dictionary

Shahi is a visual dictionary combining Wiktionary content with Flickr images. It’s a simple but perfect example of what anyone can do with APIs: a mashup, which is IMHO a centripetal approach to what web should be (instead of centrifugal approaches adding more sometimes unnecessarily). This is not a social dictionary like the ones reviewed here: there’s no way to share, tag, rate or modify content.

Wiktionary + Flickr + Google ImagesWordnet

The idea works best with concrete nouns rather than with abstract/conceptual terms. Obviously, a picture of a ditch is worth a 1000 words…but what about the state, for instance, of being dizzy? You can always try changing the image feed:

shahi1

shahi2

PS: Shahi means Tea in Arabic but when you google Shahi, this is what you get…:S

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One Comment

  • Hi there Elena!

    I love Shahi and have been using it with my students recently, it’s absolutely great. I hadn’t ever noticed that there was a way to change the image stream too though. Thanks for pointing this one out.

    What I really hope (and emailed the developer to ask) is that they’ll allow you to change the dictionary used too so that Spanish, French, Chinese and all other MFL teachers will be able to use it too.

    Keep up the great work and thanks again,

    Seth.

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