Essay towards a Dictionary, Tibetan and English
Prepared, with the Assistance of Bandé Sangs-rgyas Phun-tshogs, a Learned Láma of Zangskár

First published in 1834, this was the first known dictionary of Tibetan, by the founder of the field of Tibetology.

Alexander Csoma de K?rös (Author)

9781108056472, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 March 2013

378 pages
29.7 x 21 x 2 cm, 0.91 kg

Tibetan comprises a cluster of Tibeto-Burman languages spoken across Central Asia. Its classical written form is a major Buddhist language. First published in 1834, this dictionary of Tibetan, believed to be the very first, was compiled by the Hungarian orientalist K?rösi Csoma Sándor (c.1784–1842), who styled himself Alexander Csoma de K?rös in English, and was considered to be the founder of the field of Tibetology. Containing over 20,000 entries with English translations, the dictionary was created during the author's travels in the East, during which he devoted himself to the study of the language. Remaining of great interest to linguists today, the dictionary begins with a useful guide to reading and understanding Tibetan words, with the value of each syllable given in Roman script. The entries themselves are arranged primarily under the language's thirty consonants, with irregular verb forms listed where necessary.

Preface
Arrangement of the volume
Alphabetic system
Explication of the marks and abbreviations used
A dictionary of the Tibetan language.

Subject Areas: Linguistics [CF]