`Fisching fore weds': phonetic retrieval of written text in information systems

The article discusses phonetic retrieval of written names or words in computer systems. It deals briefly with the two established coding techniques of Davidson and Soundex, and an improved method called Phonix. Phonetic coding is performed on full words, with the ending sounds of words having special significance during the search process which results in likely, less likely, least likely categories of matches. Phonix has been tested, within the URICA library package, on bibliographic databases where it has been used as a secondary method of retrieval after failure of an initial search.