AN ENGLISH-TIBETAN DICTIONARY - A VOCABULARY OF APPROXIMATELY TWENTY THOUSAND WORDS WITH THEIR TIBETAN EQUIVALENTS

Sep 26, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

An English-Tibetan dictionary project is introduced with a stated aim of compiling a vocabulary of approximately twenty thousand English words alongside their Tibetan equivalents. The preface recounts the author’s long-standing need for a reliable reference, the encouragement received from officers and scholars, and the practical obstacles met during compilation. It describes key source dictionaries and institutional support, outlining how access to major Tibetan-English works, teaching experience, and collaboration with English-knowing Tibetan students helped bring the dictionary toward completion and publication.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages1012

Reading Time25 h 58 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

dnpuesnog !zey gMg0.2口.B.R.bNL.oUI2 D2.r.5实心k地三l秀AdUNOILOIQ NUJ3gi he YBancucft Subany University of California·Berkeley THEOS C.BERNARD- G.ELEANORE MURRAY COLLECTION AND ARCHIVE 日 # MAN-cweccol outcoNS 新 SL8编H8)地熬聘 AN ENGLISH-TIBETAN DICTIONARY CONTAINING A VOCABULARY OF APPROXIMATELYTWENTY THOUSAND WORDS WITH THEIRTIBETAN EQUIVALENTS. LAMA DAWASAMDUP KAZI,Head Master,Sikkim State Bhutia Boarding School,Gangtok. CALCUTTA: 一 1919. C FWISD04LBRSY OFTH形NA帽一常一母+=53·jns araA59-1=45前只吗测宁剪9可5号强■西河初口号3的R所下灯方可公厕但可习答答列下言山可口1而阿号雪文只育族管新吗可列西上太万会与别可景后利555555多π551551■5合雪么间源明方时的啊列川何可近方所鹰新可方可迎习到11只《何52前可可工口 53গই;ক্ণম-ন্;্গমখম-ঘনক্;;ণাঈ-ণগস্ব্ব'গ্যূe্ন-6সrমgাংr৯ Il 56গ; 53দনদ;খশ স্নীণগৎ'াগ্; গ্রগুরনমগর্ম ;খrঝ]মত্ূগ্রনেস্ুণমস্ঠগগ5\#্5"াটম-ন-ংমস্ক্গ্1মণে5/5গন্5aংমণযগুম্নhংশয়া \#5 নটমrএখ্ণ-ানী ই গাNং5ণগ 9গম=্5I|ড্রংঘনগণাগঋস্ত্রৎত্রমম-\#"মখন্খংণ-IlIlগুমমমদূ্ৃযাম-5; মন্ত-ণাঁপথ্ণথমুমু্সর্ স্থ্ণন্বংমাঁগৈয়" Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2008 with funding fromMicrosoft Corporationhttp://www.archive.org/details/englishtibetandi00zlabrich Preface. EVER since I was a schoolboy,I have felt the great want of areliable English-Tibetan Dictionary,and in later years,whenever Icame across any Officer,—either directly my superior,such as the lateMr.P.Nolan,Commissioner of Rajshahi Division,under whom Iwas Chief Tibetan Translator for several years,or to those whom Ihad the honour of giving a few Tibetan lessons,of whom there weremany,—they all seemed to wonder,that with my knowledge of Englishand of my own native language,I did not try to compile the requiredDictionary.They were all pleased to encourage me by saying that Iseemed quite able to do so—or rather appeared to be the proper personto do so.It was kind Mr.H.B.Hannah,the author of the latestGrammar of the Tibetan language,published by the Calcutta Univer-sity in 1912,to whom I was then giving lessons in Tibetan,who per-suaded me to take it up seriously.When I was just beginning thecompilation in 1902,happening to talk the matter over with Mr.D.Macdonald,now British Trade Agent at Yatung in Tibet(then atDarjeeling),he kindly rendered me the greatest aid at the time byputting some useful papers into my hands to go on with.I had noidea of the difficulties which I was soon to encounter.It was notlong before I came across words which I could not express inTibetan,and had to wait until some chance brought the requiredword or expression out,—either from myself or from some other personin the course of a talk;then the work would go on for some time,untilI was brought to a similar standstill by another hard word.Up to1906,the only reliable books of reference which I wished to consult—viz.(1)Csoma de Körös's and(2)Jäschkes'Tibetan-English-Dictionaries,and that masterpiece of work,the late Rai Sarat Chandra DasBahadur's Tibetan-English-Dictionary—were all beyond my means ofpurchase and could not be borrowed,and I often despaired of beingable to complete my self-imposed task.But in 1906,upon my transferto Sikkim as Headmaster State Bhutia Boarding School,Gangtok,thelate Political Officer Mr.J.C.White,C.I.E.,of Sikkim,on beingapprised of my efforts,was so favourably impressed that he put all thethree above books at my disposal,besides several others;and I derivedgreat help from them,especially from the admirable work of my respected teacher the late Rai Sarat Chandra Das Bahadur.Even withthe assistance I derived from these works,I experienced such difficul-ties,that had I not happened to be a teacher I might have found itvery difficult to complete the work at all.I found out why it wasthat such highly learned scholars as the late Csoma de Koros and myrespected teacher the late Rai Bahadur had left it unattempted.Thework could only be undertaken by a person whose mother languagewas Tibetan,or a dialect of Tibetan,—in short,one who thought inTibetan. It was only at the end of 1911 that the work was in a fair way ofbeing completed.Meanwhile the Political Office

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the dictionary described in the preface?

To provide a reliable English-Tibetan dictionary containing a vocabulary of approximately twenty thousand English words with their Tibetan equivalents.

Why did the author feel the work was difficult to complete at first?

The author encountered many words that could not be expressed in Tibetan and often had to wait for the right term or expression, creating repeated standstills in the compilation process.

How did access to reference books affect the compilation?

Once the author gained access to major Tibetan-English dictionary works in 1906, they received significant help, especially from the teacher Rai Sarat Chandra Das Bahadur’s related materials.

Sep 26, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick