* Key

Win Overholser April 2022 –

A year of dailyish additions—new definitions—developed an idle idea to an earnest, ongoing, indefinite endeavor, but MALarch Glossary requires additional organization if it wishes to stay productive. In lieu of new definitions, this month upgraded some behind the scenes processes to make the site more suitable to the endless nature of Glossary without giving up its commitment independent development.* The primary definition database is now only an export away from web publication; the onerous editorial intervention alleviated so that I might focus on authoring alone.

* Or at least as by hand any code / markup language can be on the copy-pasting css / php – implementing third-party tools / libraries – full blown WordPress / Cargo spectrum.

But if a web page changes without making evident the change beyond Ctrl+U, does it even change? Not really. Luckily a quarter of the current dataset now has data, which provides ample meta-data for an entry. Before getting into the particulars, a random definition:

Aalto ⟨'ɑ:lto⟩
person One of the few architects generally thought to be good.

Now let's look at what each part of this means. The word in question states itself, but after that…

Phonics

A string of ⟨'kæɹɪktəɹs⟩ follows each word (sometimes more than once, those pesky heteronyms), telling how I might say it. A poem of how I pronounce the characters' sounds, each stanza's moving through the mouth from lips to throat:

Miscellaneous
   pause
'  stressed
:  elongated
ˉ  flattened
´  rising
ˇ  dipping
`  falling

Vowels
i  as in beet
y  as in brut
ɪ  as in bit
e  as in beta
ɛ  as in bet
œ  as in boeuf
æ  as in bat
a  as in baht
ə  as in but
u  as in boot
ɯ  as in book
ʊ  as in bull
o  as in botox
ʌ  as in bum
ɔ  as in borscht
ɑ  as in bot

Diphthongs
eɪ as in bait
aɪ as in bye
aʊ as in bout
oʊ as in boat
ʌɪ as in bight
ɔɪ as in boy

Approximants
w  as in wine
l  as in lane
ɹ  as in rain
j  as in yawn
ʎ  as in llano

Nasals
m  as in million
n  as in neon
ñ  as in gnocchi
ŋ  as in nguyen

Stops
p  as in pawn
b  as in barn
t  as in turn
d  as in dawn
k  as in kern
g  as in gone
q  as in quran
ʔ  as in honor

Fricatives
ʍ  as in whine
ɸ  as in fuji
f  as in phone
v  as in vine
θ  as in thigh
ð  as in thine
s  as in sauna
z  as in zen
ʃ  as in shawn
ʒ  as in genre
ʂ  as in shaolin
ɕ  as in xi'an
x  as in hanukkah
ʁ  as in raison
h  as in honda
ɦ  as in hindi

Trills & Taps
ʙ  as in bronx cheer
r  as in rumba
ɾ  as in ramen

Compounds
tʃ as in chin
tɕ as in tuesday
dʒ as in gin

With that, let's see another random definition (if you're really lucky, it may be the same as the first):

Czarchitect ⟨'tzɑɹkɪtɛkt⟩
person A type of architect who — unlike the starchitect who builds by popular demand — demands the populous to build.

A post-pronunciation line break leads to the body of the definition, an effort to express the word. Some words have one attempt; some have many. Homophones typically have more. Heteronyms are pesky.

Lexicons

Before each definition comes a clue, but nouns, verbs, adjectives and other parts of speech do not sufficiently delineate or cater to the nuances of an architectural glossary. Definitions are classifed under fifteen groups that provide an immediate insight into their associated definition. These groups overlap, but serve as a helpful guide even if consistency across all definitions cannot be guaranteed.

action An event or verb; a word that does something or occurs.

e.g. Activate, Busing, Charrette, Dérive, Efflorescence

category An era, style, ideology, typology or adjective; a word that can classify other words.

e.g. Adaptive reuse, Baroque, Corbusian, Discipline, Enfilade

concept An abstract idea.

e.g. Arborescent, Bilbao effect, Carbon neutral, Delirious, Einfühlung

consideration Something to keep in mind; a concept relevant to any architectural process.

e.g. Accessibility, Balance, Corner problem, Diagnostic, Emergy

document Something produced or that guides production; a real counterpart to a concept.

e.g. Art, Backpunch, Criticism, DD, Ekphrastic

element Something found in a building; something that makes up a building.

e.g. Accordion door, Baluster, Clerestory, Dormer, Envelope

embellishment An element that decorates a building; venustas.

e.g. Architrave, Bolection, Caryatid, Detail, Escutcheon

enforcement An element that holds the building up; firmitas.

e.g. Arch, Blocking, Cantilever, Dolmen, Extrados

equipment An element that enhances a building's function; utilitas.

e.g. Awning, Bibb, Carrel, Duct, Elevator

material + method Something used in the production of a building; a tool in making a concept real.

e.g. Autodesk, Brick, CNC, Daub, Encaustic

measure A unit, order or direction.

e.g. Azimuth, Bar height, Chair rail, Diurnal, Eustyle

person A role an individual may play; occasionally, canonical figures.

e.g. Aalto, Bo Bardi, Contractor, Developer, Expediter

place A building, room or location; a word that can be occupied or visited.

e.g. Allée, Back-of-house, City, Dacha, Ecotone

rep tech Representational technique; a way of depicting or formulating a concept into reality.

e.g. Ambient occlusion, Blueprint, Collage, Dimetric, Elevation

Finally, some definitions have footnotes or examples.* Some do their own thing. Others yet to come may be stranger still. There's more in store.**

* I didn't need to write this, but have done so for the completeness of the entry. This refers to both the reference and referee.

** A teaser? This key's data cannot yet open the lock, but perhaps an overlaying alphabet exists: Architecture terminology, Building science, Construction industry, Design culture, Erudite theory…

MALarch