THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES - A MALAYALAM AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY - Part I: The Vowels

Oct 1, 2026

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A nineteenth-century Malayalam and English dictionary compiled by Rev. H. Gundert, designed to be issued in multiple parts and completed by 1872. The front matter explains the long-term collection of vocabulary through extensive study of spoken usage across ranks, castes, and occupations, and from prose and poetry from many eras. It addresses methodological decisions on demarcating Malayalam versus Tamil words, criteria for including Sanskrit-derived items, and the careful gathering of idioms and meanings from specific Kerala regions and mission-based linguistic sources, especially for vowel-focused materials in Part I.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages216

Reading Time5 h 33 min

AccessFree to download

THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES

A MALAYALAM AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Part I: The Vowels

Introductory Remarks

AA001370435 8 rnia al ArHoAFY8A4N翻H4s6 # THE LIBRARYOF THE UNIVERSITYOF CALIFORNIALOS ANGELES # A MALAYALAM AND ENGLISH DICTI0NARY BY Rev.H.GUNDERT,D.Ph. # PartI:The Vowels MANGALORE PUBLISHED BY C.STOLZ BASEL MISSION BOOK &TRACT DEPOSITORY 1871 All rights reserved. # A MALAYALAM AND ENGLISH D ICTIONA R Y BY Rev.H.GUNDERT,D.Ph. The Dictionary of the Malayalam Language by Dr.H.Gundertwhich will be issued in parts,will consist of about 1000 pp.Royal 8°. It is calculated that the work will be complete in ive parts,andbe finished by the end of 1872. Price to subscribers,registering their names for the entire work—Rs.12.8.0,or per each part Rs.2.8.0.Single parts will not be sold. A higher rate will be charged to non-subscribers. Thirteen copies will be given to parties subscribing for twelve. Subscriptions will be registered by the Publisher at Mangaloreand at the Stations of the Basel German Mission in Malabar,viz:Cannanore,Tellicherry,Chombala,Calicut,Codacal,Palghat. Mangalore,March 1871. C.Stola, Publisher. PL 4716 G5m pt.I ntroouctorn Bearhs. The materials for this work have been collected during morethan twenty-five years'study of the language.The words have beentaken from all available sources,from the lips of speakers of all ranks,castes and oceupations,from the letters and records of many differentdistricts,and from the writers in prose and poetry of every age.Alist necessarily imperfect of the literature which has been ransackedfor contributions,will be subjoined under the head of Abbreviations. 2.It has been found difficult to draw the line of demarcationbetween Malayalan and Tamil words.These two languages of olddiffered rather as dialects of the same menber ofthe Dravidian family,than as separate languages;in consequence many Tamil words occurstill in local usage (e.g.(G020,(Gos in some of its senses)or in time-honored phrases and formulas(e.g.BCMogO,(G6002 2一2100b),which have long ceased to be used in colloquial speech.A consider-able number of such have been received and marked as aM.(ancientMalayalam).They cannot be dispensed with,if the Dictionary is togive a true representation of the history of the language.This historycommences for us (if we except a fev inscriptions on copper andstone)with the Rama Charitam,in which we probably have the oldestMalayalam poem still in existence,composed as it was before theintro-duction of the Sanscrit alphabet and deserving of the partieularattention of the scholar,asit exhibits the earliest phase of the languagc,perhaps centuries before the arrival of the Portuguese.For severalantiquated words(such as sOgob,GOOo,II.(B0O031)this poem is the onlyauthority.The bulk ofthe other great poems,the Bharatam,Ramaya- 1227569 —4— nan,and the versions of the Purānas were composed within the twoor thrce last centuries.As these constitute the popular literature ofall Malayalam readers,no Dravidian word found in them has beenexcluded.On the otler hand there are many Malayalam composi-tions of later date,especially such as are currentamong the Vedantists,which evidently affect Tamil modes of expression.These have beenexcluded if not supported by other evidence. 3.To determine the amount of Sanserit words to be receivedinto a Malayalam Dictionary has been a task of even greater difficulty.As this Dictionary is not intended for the use of Sanscrit students,therule followed in compiling it has been to include only those wordsand meanings that were found in bonafide Malayalam productions;tosift and reduce the enormous mass of mythological and botanical namesand synonyms,many of which are confessedly very doubtfiul;to recordmerely the principal signification of words confined to poetical usage;and to devote particular attention only to those terms which are gene-rally accepted as fairly“domiciled”in Malayalam and which havein the course of naturalization received various applications not tobe met with in pure Sanscrit,(

FAQs

Who compiled the Malayalam and English dictionary and what is its structure?

The dictionary is compiled by Rev. H. Gundert. It is planned to be issued in parts and is described as covering about 1000 pages in Royal 8° format, with Part I focusing on vowels.

How does the dictionary source its Malayalam words and meanings?

The materials were collected over more than twenty-five years from speakers of many ranks, castes, and occupations, from letters and records across districts, and from writers of prose and poetry from every age.

What challenges does the introduction describe about Malayalam versus Tamil words?

It explains that Malayalam and Tamil historically differ more like dialects within the Dravidian family, so many Tamil words appear in local Malayalam usage. Some ancient and formal Tamil-influenced items are included to preserve an accurate history of the language.

Oct 1, 2026

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