Page "learned" Paragraph 551

If all forms of a paradigm are grouped together within the dictionary, a considerable reduction in the amount of information required is possible.

For example, the inflected forms of a word can be represented, insofar as regular inflection allows, by a stem and a set of endings to be attached.

( Indeed, the set of endings can be replaced by the name of a set of endings.

) The full forms can be derived from such information just prior to the lookup of the form in the text-form list.

Similarly, if the equivalents for the forms of a word do not vary, the equivalents need be entered only once with an indication that they apply to each form.

The dictionary system is in no way dependent upon such summarization or designed around it.

When irregularity and variation prevent summarizing, information is written in complete detail.

Entries are summarized only when by doing so the amount of information retained in the dictionary is reduced and the time required for dictionary operations is decreased.