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Regular-article-logo Tuesday, 01 July 2025

1000-page trilingual tome to promote Nepali - Anundoram Borooah Institute initiates preparation of 50000-word dictionary

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RAJIV KONWAR Published 12.07.13, 12:00 AM
Scholars busy preparing the first Nepali dictionary at Anundoram Borooah Institute. Telegraph picture

Guwahati; July 11: The Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language, Art and Culture in north Guwahati is preparing the first Nepali-Assamese-English dictionary.

The director of the institute, Dilip Kalita, said the trilingual dictionary, comprising more than 50,000 words and around 1,000 pages, was being prepared by experts from across the state.

At present, there is no dictionary in Nepali.

A scholar from Dhemaji district had earlier made some progress in compiling a Nepali dictionary but could not publish it because of funds constraints.

“We have involved Nepali scholars and members of Asam Nepali Sahitya Sabha to compile the dictionary. It will be an outcome of teamwork rather than an individual effort,” said Kalita.

The institute began a monthlong workshop on its premises on July 5 with the participation of more than 20 Nepali scholars of the state.

“The publication of the Nepali dictionary is a part of our effort to publish dictionaries in different indigenous languages. We have already published a voluminous Mising dictionary. We are working to prepare dictionaries in Rabha, Bodo, Karbi, Tiwa, Bishnupriya Manipuri and Dimasa languages,” said Kalita.

“This is a great step. It will help to develop relations between Nepali and Assamese in research, comparative studies and translation,” said Rudra Baral, the secretary of Asam Nepali Sahitya Sabha.

Set up in the memory of linguist Anundaram Borooah, the institute is an autonomous research organisation that started functioning in 1989. It has published 50 books based on research and translations. It has been conferring the annual Anundaram Borooah Award for contribution in the field of research.

Kalita said they had decided to publish the dictionaries to develop the indigenous languages. The institute also plans to publish books on the grammar of these languages, he added.

Kalita said they had made significant progress in preparing a monolingual Assamese dictionary, Xamogrik Asomiya Xobdokox, which will cover all the words available in the existing dictionaries, along with words from spoken language and literature, which have not been included in any dictionary so far.

“Twenty-nine persons appointed across the state have found around 20,000 words used in colloquial language but not included in dictionaries. Similarly, we have also appointed 22 other persons to find out words from Assamese books but not included in dictionaries,” said Kalita.

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