Essay On Dictionaries

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Essay On Dictionaries

Dictionary is a book that gives a list of words in alphabetical order and explains what they actually mean. It also gives words in foreign language. Thus, the collection of words that gives their meanings is known as ‘dictionary’.

Dictionaries also provide references and meanings of the words used in a particular period and in a geographic boundaries. Names of historical people, words related to concepts and institutions, literature, coins, inscriptions, copper plates, places, records, economic and religious practices, administrative communications and correspondences are available in historical dictionaries. Some dictionaries also provide an ‘Index’ of historical manuscripts and documents in an alphabetical order. Certain dictionaries of history focus on a specific subjects like contribution of women, Bhakti literature, etc. Dictionaries are created with the aim to fulfil the interest of the person by understanding the meanings of the words in an easy manner. Moreover, the vocabulary of the person increases.

Dictionaries are uni-lingual, bi-lingual and multi-lingual. Uni-lingual dictionaries are available in one language. On the other hand, bi-lingual dictionaries are made in more than one language and multi-lingual dictionaries are made in more than two languages. Subject based dictionary, etymological dictionary and glossary dictionary are sub-types of dictionaries. First bi-lingual dictionary in India was created in medieval period. Dictionaries include number of synonyms words of different languages. Thus, they are important to increase the knowledge.

Language directory is the sub-type of dictionary. It comprises collection of concepts in different subjects such as History, Science, Literature, Engineering, Geology, Architecture, Mathematics, etc. One can find the alternate words or the meaning of the words. Institutions like Maharashtra Government’s Board of Literature and Culture’, “State Institute for Marathi Development and ‘Language Directories’ have created dictionaries related to engineering, economical and medical.

There are number of important dictionaries of history. In 1889, Dinkar Mahadev came up with his collection of ancient and modern poetic dictionary Mcalled ‘Padaratnamahodhi’. In 1912, a two-volume dictionary called Vedic Index of Names and Subjects’ was published by A.A. MacDonnell and A.B. Keith. ‘Date Soochy’ provides list of all Marathi books that were published before 1950.

Hari Shridhar created a dictionary of concepts and special words from the Bhakti literature of Maharashtra. He entitled it as Marathi Sant Vangmay Kosh’. Scholars from Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune are involved in creating ‘An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles’. In 1954, B.C. Law published Historical Geography of Ancient India?. This dictionary provides the names of the places mentioned in ancient Indian literature.

Essay On Dictionaries

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