Archive for the ‘Dictionaries’ Category

Jul
26
2009

Online usages for Maori dictionary

Updated at 7:52am on 25 July 2009

Te Upukare National Maori Language Institute at the Auckland University of Technology has launched an application to put the Te Aka online Maori dictionary into iPhones and multimedia players.

Institute director Tania Ka’ai says the application will also enable users to text a word and get it back translated into te reo Maori.

She told Waatea news podcasts of lessons can also be downloaded from Te Whanake Maori language series.

the iPhone application was created by the same company that digitised the Maori dictionary. Ms Ka’ai says it’s being launched in time for Maori Language Week next week.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2009/07/25/1245bc8808be

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Jul
22
2009

German language adds 5,000 words

Page last updated at 18:01 GMT, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 19:01 UK

Around 5,000 new words have been officially added to the German language – many of them from the English-speaking world.

The newcomers appear in the latest edition of the respected German dictionary, Duden.

Germans can now go to “eine After-Show-Party”, as long as it is not “eine No-Go Area”, and meet “das It Girl” – if she does not have “der Babyblues”.

Fans of social networking can also “twittern”, which means to Twitter.

The financial crisis has inspired many of the new entries in the 135,000-word dictionary.

‘Kreditklemme’
Appearing for the first time are “Kreditklemme” (credit crunch), “Konjunkturpaket” (stimulus package) and “Abwrackpraemie” (car scrappage bonus).

The word “Ehrenmord” (honour killing) also makes it into the dictionary, which was published on Wednesday.

The German language is known for its extremely long compound nouns.

And the new edition includes a 23-letter example: “Vorratsdatenspeicherung”, which means telecommunications data retention.

The first Duden dictionary was produced in 1880 and consisted of just 27,000 words.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8163541.stm

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Jul
10
2009

Taiwan proposes new Chinese-language dictionary

2009-07-10 07:01 PM

Taiwan’s ruling party says it will propose the creation of a new Chinese-language dictionary with mainland China that incorporates vocabulary and phrases used on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Nationalist Party Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung says the dictionary will be discussed at a weekend conference on preserving and deepening Chinese cultural heritage in the Chinese province of Hunan.

Departing for the meeting Friday, Wu said the dictionary has become necessary because people on the two sides have developed different meanings and uses for some words since the two sides split amid civil war in 1949.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan a renegade province. Relations have improved since Ma Ying-jeou became Taiwan’s president in May 2008.

Source: http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=999975&lang=eng_news

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