I would like to open a conversation to revitalize the Wiktionary app.
I can't install it on my phone anymore but the store page is still online. According to the Android store there are over 100K installs (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wiktionary). That is a pretty amazing number for an app that got its last update in 2013. I am not sure how trustworthy that number is but it could indicate that there is interest in reading the Wiktionary content on mobile phones.
At least 1 app seems to be trying to scam users with a similar name. Hopefully users are not installing it with the feeling that it comes from the foundation.
Another important simultaneous development is that we have a growing corpus of structured Lexeme data that could be used in the app. This lexeme show the great potential for viewing and editing of dictionary data: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Lexeme:L3054
Users of the app could have all of these things:
- Lists of conjugations
- Links to other dictionary databases
- Listen to pronunciations
- See pictures where the word is used (useful for e.g. public signs, where a word could often appear)
- Browse back and forth in etymology
And users could be invited to:
- Add data
- Add their own recording of how they pronounce a word-form
- Add a photo of where the word is used (e.g. an information sign)
Because Wiktionary is lemma bases and not lexeme based, there is not 1:1 mapping between Wiktionary pages and Wikidata lexemes. If the app gets picked up I think starting with the lexemes is better because they are more structured and offer a lot of quick wins. The Wiktionary communities could be convinced to switch to 1-lexeme-per-page model in order to integrate better with Wikidata and the app.
To conclude I want to say that I am in favor of revitalizing the app sooner rather than later. It seems like with structured lexeme data the time is ripe. Of course the Wikipedia app could also benefit from lexeme integration, but having an app focused on dictionary content seems like a fabulous idea.