Fw: [Lexicog] WELSH DICTIONARY RECEIVES ACCOLADE

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: Andrew Hawke 
To: DSNA at yahoogroups.com ; lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com ; euralex at euralex.org 
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:00 AM
Subject: [Lexicog] WELSH DICTIONARY RECEIVES ACCOLADE


It's not often that dictionaries receive attention - especially those of minority langauges - so I hope colleagues will excuse us for some blatant self-publicity!

Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, the University of Wales Dictionary of the Welsh Language, has just been hailed as one of "100 major discoveries, developments and inventions made in UK universities during the last 50 years that have impacted on the world" in a book entitled Eureka UK recently published by Universities UK. An "impact" is defined in the volume as something that "has improved our understanding in a field to such a degree that this change is comprehensible to everyone". "Researchers", the book's authors note, "have . . . played a key role in documenting our heritage for future generations, producing for example the first definitive guide to the vocabulary of the Welsh language."
 
"The dictionary will have a similar impact on the Welsh language community to that of the Oxford English Dictionary on the English-speaking world", we are told. "It is the ultimate authority on the spelling, etymology, and vocabulary of Welsh." It will also "revolutionise Welsh literary studies, enabling developments in new fields of linguistic studies, such as Welsh word formation, and Welsh terminology and translation."
 
The first complete standard historical dictionary of Welsh, it traces the history of each word from the earliest written forms up to the present. The dictionary, based in Aberystwyth, has been the major project of the University's Board of Celtic Studies since work began on collecting materials back in 1921. Publication began in 1950 and was completed nearly 4,000 pages later in 2002 when First Minister Rhodri Morgan launched the fourth and final volume at the National Assembly in Cardiff. Since then a small staff of five editors and an assistant have been working on a thorough revision of A-B, effectively doubling its size, to be completed in 2008 with the financial assistance of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the University's own funds. A concise - and free - electronic version of the dictionary is also available online. Originally based in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, the dictionary's offices are now located in a new building alongside the Library.
 
Mr Gareth Bevan, one of the two principal editors of the dictionary, said that he was delighted that the project had received recognition in such a prestigious book, and that the dictionary's contribution to the cultural and academic life of Wales had been so readily acknowledged. Pointing out that Welsh is still very much a living language, he added "we are always happy to receive additions and corrections to be used in future revisions." 

Dictionary website: www.wales.ac.uk/dictionary/


--
Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, Aberystwyth, SY23 3HH
University of Wales Dictionary of the Welsh Language, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, SY23 3HH, UK
ff./tel. +44 (0)1970 639094 | ffacs/fax: +44 (0)1970 631039 | ach at aber.ac.uk | gwe/web: http://www.cymru.ac.uk/geiriadur/
Nid yw'r neges hon o angenrheidrwydd yn adlewyrchu barn Prifysgol Cymru / This message does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the University of Wales  
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