Speakers
Description
The Dictionary of the Croatian Redaction of Church Slavonic (RCJHR) is the first lexicographic description of the Croatian Church Slavonic language. Within the project Development of the Digital Infrastructure Model of the Old Church Slavonic Institute (DigiSTIN), the printed RCJHR is being digitized and adapted for online publication, while the RCJHR project focuses on compiling new entries and exploring a fully digital lexicographic workflow. This paper examines the potential of large language models (LLMs) to support the digitization and compilation of a dictionary documenting a low-resource historical language with an exceptionally complex microstructure involving five languages and four scripts. Six leading models (GPT-5.4 Thinking, DeepSeek-V3.2, Gemini 3 Pro, Claude Opus 4.6, Qwen3.6-Plus, and Copilot GPT-5) were evaluated across four tasks: OCR of previously published fascicles, HTR of handwritten index cards, defining entry structure, and compiling new dictionary entries. The results demonstrate that LLMs significantly accelerate digitization and assist in identifying foreign-language equivalents, suggesting sense divisions, and proposing cross-references. However, they remain unreliable in resolving subtle semantic distinctions and recognising the Glagolitic script, confirming that human philological expertise remains indispensable.