Wordformation, for example, can be studied by following up on distinct relations between the entities Morpheme , Allomorph , Segment and Lemma . A lemma is the citation form, or dictionary entry of a word. Morphological segmentation yields a constituent analysis of a word. In traditional wordformation studies examples are used in describing and explaining wordformation patterns. The database offers for the first time a complete analysis of each and every wordformation pattern in Shakespeare, and it links comparable constructions, such as compounds or conversions, for convenient inspection and statistical comparison.
Inflectional paradigms are accessible in the entity wordform .
Since all entities of the database are systematically linked, wordformation and inflection can be further analysed using information from other areas of the database, such as the entities Historical Person, Character, and Role comprising the datastructure for the dramatis personae. It is thus possible, for example, to compare the wordformation of individual speakers, say Hamlet and Macbeth, or the nobility and commoners. In a wider sense database attributes such as clergy, military, professionals, artists, tradespeople, etc. can be used to study in detail Shakespeare's literary representation of various sociolects and gender differentiations. The lexicological contribution of the database is based on original research especially in dating and attributing first occurrences of Early Modern English words and thereby defining the set of Shakespearean words. In doing so, it follows the lead of earlier research, especially in the Chronological English Dictionary, Listing 80000 Words in Order of Their Earliest Known Occurrence , ed.