A Brief History of the Chichewa Dictionary Project |
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![]() The picture shows the cover of the newest edition of our Chichewa Dictionary, published by Oxford University Press in September 2016. The author, Steven Paas (PhD), is grateful to all who throughout the years have assisted him in his work of compiling the dictionary. He started his lexicographical activity in 1997, when he was preparing for service in Malawi, the beating heart of Chichewa-speaking Africa. From his vantage point at Zomba Theological College and as a minister of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian he came to realise that - although Chichewa had become the most widely known name for the language - some users prefer the name Chinyanja, which in Zambia is spelled as Cinyanja and in Mozambique as Cinianja. Focus
A Crisis of Communication Since the beginning of my involvement in Chichewa speaking Africa I have experienced a crisis of communication, which is caused by the difference between cultures and languages. In general this crisis affects all situations of learning and communication. Of course in schools the crisis is more acute than anywhere else. The communication gap especially affects the poor, the illiterate, the orphans and the sick, because it bars their social mobility and emancipation. In the past especially learners of Chichewa or English were handicapped by the absence of Dictionaries in their mother languages. Book Versions of the Dictionary
Subsequently we decided to have the separate EC and CE collections combined to one volume. In 2009 the combined CE-EC Dictionary began its history, published by Kachere in Zomba. In 2010 the second edition was published, by Foundation Heart for Malawi. In February 2012 the third edition saw light, through VTR-Publications in Nürnberg, Germany. The fourth edition, printed in China, for the first time on thin bible paper, was published by Foundation Heart for Malawi in cooperation with Christian Literature in Action in Malawi (CLAIM), Blantyre, in 2013. The present or fifth edition is a 2016 publication of Oxford University Press – Oxford Regional Business in Southern Africa (OUP-ORBIS) in Cape Town. The Online Version of the Dictionary Besides, an important move was made when the CE-EC Dictionary went online, on 28th May 2010. Click the button ‘use dictionary’ in top of the screen. Full access is free. The screen of the site of the Online Dictionary has been adapted to smartphone use. We expect that the paper and online versions will sustain one another in attracting the attention of potential users and to encourage sponsors of the Project. We are continuing the work of improvement, research, and collection of vocabulary for later editions. The process of improving and expanding the dictionary and of its distribution requires a lot of effort, intellectually, organisationally and financially. Financing the Project Our project, which started in 1997, belongs to a tradition of Chichewa lexicography, which began in 1854. For a survey of the history of Chichewa dictionaries and collections of vocabulary, click the buttons ‘Chichewa’ and ‘Lexicography’. Since the beginning the process of research, printing and distribution has relied mainly on external funding, often by missionary organisations. The editions of our Chichewa Dictionary too have been largely financed by well-wishers, especially the following private persons and foundations (Dutch: stichtingen), in alphabetical order: Burgland Charitas, Edukans, Evanaid, Koekoek, H.M., and A.A., Liberty, Metgezel, Oikonómos, Protestants Steunfonds, Rotterdam, Share4More, (Anonymous through) Stéphanos, Verheij Consultancy, Weeshuis der Doopsgezinden, Werkgroep Zambia. The present edition marks a difference, because it is fully financed by its publisher OUP-ORBIS. Undoubtedly to an extent this move of commercializing the Dictionary will meaningfully contribute to the continuity and sustainability of the Project. We expect that in this way the Chichewa Dictionary is connecting to the market for dictionaries, which has gradually developed in Chichewa (Chinyanja/ Cinyanja/ Cinianja) -speaking Africa. We trust that the positive trend of the selling of dictionaries will continue to be strengthened by economic and educational developments. A growing part of the general public is able to order and purchase books, mostly through their bookshops, but gradually also by electronic means through the Internet. However, many users of Chichewa have never seen the inside of a bookshop. Yet, many of them are learners, especially the young people at schools. They need the Dictionary in the first place. We sincerely hope that more ngo’s, government offices, schools, churches and other institutions are going to buy the book for their employees, students and other members.
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