View source for misc/William Leben review of Newman updated dictionary

Published by De Gruyter Mouton March 15, 2022

= [[:en:Paul_Newman_(linguist)|Newman, Paul]] & [https://study.soas.ac.uk/jaggar-hausa-champion-soas/ Roxana Ma Newman]: Hausa Dictionary: Hausa-English English-Hausa, Ƙamusun Hausa: Hausa-Ingilishi/Ingilishi-Hausa =
''William R. Leben''

From the journal Journal of African Languages and Linguistics

https://doi.org/10.1515/jall-2021-2023

[[Hausa]] [[speakers]], [[language]] [[learners]], [[and]] [[scholars]] [[have]] [[a]] [[new]] [[reason]] [[to]] [[rejoice]] [[with]] [[the]] [[publication]] [[of]] [[a]] [[new]] [[full]]-[[sized]] [[Hausa]]-[[English]] [[and]] [[English]]-[[Hausa]] [[dictionary]] [[by]] [[:en:Paul_Newman_(linguist)|Paul Newman]] [[and]] [https://study.soas.ac.uk/jaggar-hausa-champion-soas/ Roxana Ma Newman] [[by]] [https://twitter.com/bukpress Bayero University Press] [[in]] [[Kano]], [[Nigeria]]. [[The]] [[front]] [[matter]]—[[in]] [[both]] [[English]] [[and]] [[Hausa]], [[apart]] [[from]] [[the]] [[abbreviations|Abbreviations]] & [[symbols|Symbols]] [[pages]] [[exclusively]] [[in]] [[English]]—[[explains]] [[that]] [[the]] [[new]] [[work]] [[addresses]] [[a]] [[problem]] [[that]] [[has]] [[existed]] [[for]] [[a]] [[long]] [[time]]. [[despite|Despite]] [[a]] [[highly]] [[distinguished]] [[lexicographical]] [[tradition]] (Newman [[and]] Newman [[2001]]), [[including]] [[among]] [[several]] [[others]] [[an]] [[authoritative]] [[English]]-[[Hausa]] [[dictionary]] [[by]] Roxana Ma Newman (Newman [[1990]]) ([https://yalebooks.yale.edu/disciplines/hausa Yale University Press]) [[and]] [[a]] [[similarly]] [[fine]] [[Hausa]]-[[English]] [[companion]] [[dictionary]] [[by]] Paul Newman (Newman [[2007]]) (Yale University Press), '''[[access]] [[has]] [[been]] [[limited]] [[for]] [[the]] [[many]] [[millions]] [[of]] [[prospective]] [[users]] [[in]] [[Nigeria]] [[and]] [[in]] [[Africa]] [[in]] [[general]].''' 

[[Hausa]] [[dictionary]] [[users]] [[are]] [[a]] [[lucky]] [[group]], [[having]] [[had]] [[a]] [[choice]] [[of]] [[excellent]] [[resources]] [[for]] [[a]] [[long]] [[time]], [[including]] [[the]] [[large]] [[and]] [[quite]] [[reliable]] [[volumes]] [[by]] [[bargery|Bargery]] ([[1934]]) [[and]] [[Abraham]] ([[1949]]) [[along]] [[with]] [[many]] [[smaller]] [[ones]]. [[also|Also]] [[worth]] [[mentioning]] [[is]] [https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ACharles+Henry+Robinson&s=relevancerank&text=Charles+Henry+Robinson&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1 Robinson’s] ([[1899]]) [[large]]-[[scale]] [[Hausa]] [[dictionary]], [[which]] [[was]] [[the]] [[reference]] [[of]] [[choice]] [[in]] [[the]] [[earlier]] [[part]] [[of]] [[the]] [[twentieth]] [[century]] [[and]] [[has]] [[seen]] [[four]] [[editions]], [[the]] [[latest]] [[one]] [[reprinted]] [[in]] [[2018]] [[in]] [[paperback]] [[form]]. [[A]] [[bigger]] [[milestone]] [[reached]] [[in]] [[2006]] [[is]] '''[[the]] 15,754-[[entry]] ([[Ƙamusun]] [[Hausa]] [[na]] Jami’ar Bayero [[2006]]) [[Ƙamusun]] [[Hausa]]''', [[a]] [[Hausa]]-[[Hausa]] [[dictionary]] [[from]] [[the]] [[centre|Centre]] [[for]] [[the]] [[study|Study]] [[of]] [[Nigerian]] [[languages|Languages]] ([[now]] [[the]] Centre [[for]] Research, [[translation|Translation]] [[and]] [[folklore|Folklore]]) [[at]] Bayero [[university|University]] [[Kano]]. For [[a]] [[2001]] [[list]] [[of]] [[Hausa]] [[dictionaries]] [[large]] [[and]] [[small]], [[see]] [[the]] [[bibliography]] [[in]] Newman [[and]] Newman ([[2001]]). [[for|For]] [[a]] [[fuller]] [[survey]] [[of]] [[scholarship]] [[on]] [[Hausa]] [[language]] [[going]] [[back]] [[to]] [[1843]], [[see]] Newman ([[1991]]). 

[[The]] [[work]] [[under]] [[review]] [[here]] [[combines]] [[and]] [[updates]] [[the]] [[contents]] [[of]] Roxanna Ma Newman’s [[earlier]] [[English]]-[[Hausa]] [[dictionary|Dictionary]] [[and]] Paul Newman’s [[earlier]] [[Hausa]]-[[English]] [[dictionary]]. '''For [[the]] [[new]] [[edition]], [[the]] [[earlier]] [[authors]] [[worked]] [[with]] [[a]] [[panel]] [[of]] [[native]] [[Hausa]]-[[speaking]] [[linguists]] [[who]] [[contributed]] [[new]] [[entries]], [[new]] [[meanings]] [[for]] [[existing]] [[entries]], [[and]] [[corrections]] [[to]] [[the]] [[previous]] [[editions]].''' [[The]] [[look]] [[of]] [[the]] [[new]] [[volume]] [[is]] [[similar]] [[in]] [[many]] [[respects]] [[to]] [[the]] [[earlier]] [[separate]] [[volumes]]. [[The]] [[major]] [[difference]] [[is]] [[that]] [[the]] [[new]] [[volume]] [[is]] [[a]] [[large]] [[paperback]] [[published]] [[in]] [[Nigeria]] [[by]] Bayero University Press, [[potentially]] [[making]] [[the]] [[volume]] [[much]] [[more]] [[widely]] [[available]] [[in]] [[Nigeria]] [[and]] [[the]] [[rest]] [[of]] [[Africa]] [[than]] [[the]] [[earlier]] Yale [[volumes]]. 

[[some|Some]] [[dialectal]] [[variants]] [[are]] [[retained]] [[in]] [[the]] [[new]] [[volume]], [[while]] [[others]] [[are]] [[lost]]. [[The]] [[dialectal]] [[form]] [[l]]ḕmon Kanṑ ‘[[orange]]’ [[is]] [[carried]] [[over]] [[to]] [[the]] [[new]] [[volume]], [[as]] [[is]] jàkā ‘1,000 [[CFA]].’ [[But]] [[missing]] [[from]] [[the]] [[new]] [[volume]] [[is]] [[the]] [[Niger]] [[Hausa]] [[word]] [[jandarma|jandar̃mà]] ‘[[police officer]].’ Some [[entries]] add a new [[phrase]], such as [[jakar shayi|jàkar shāyī]] ‘[[teabag]],’ or a new set of [[meanings]], such as English [[next]], to which is added the [[prepositional]] [[expressions]] [[dab dà]] and [[kusa dà]]. This [[particular]] [[entry]] is [[shortened]] [[slightly]] by [[omitting]] a few [[examples]] from the [[previous]] [[edition]] of how next is [[rendered]] in [[context]].  

[[The]] [[most]] [[surprising]] [[and]] [[questionable]] [[change]] [[from]] [[the]] Yale [[volumes]] [[is]] [[the]] [[decision]] [[to]] [[mark]] [[tone]] [[and]] [[vowel]] [[length]] [[only]] [[to]] [[differentiate]] [[words]] [[in]] [[which]] [[they]] [[are]] [[contrastive]]. [[so|So]] [[for]] [[example]], [[the]] [[entries]] [[for]] [[the]] [[two]] [[Hausa]] [[expressions]] [[meaning]] ‘[[for]] [[sure]]’ [[and]] ‘[[henna]]’ [[appear]] [[respectively]] [[as]] [[lalle]] [lállé:] [[and]] [[lalle]] [lállè:], [[while]] [[lale|lālē]] ‘[[welcome]]!’ [[appears]] [[as]] [[lale]] [[without]] [[tone]] [[or]] [[length]] [[marks]]. [[This]] [[may]] [[reflect]] [[a]] [[decision]] [[to]] [[orient]] [[the]] [[dictionary]] [[toward]] [[speakers]] [[fluent]] [[in]] [[Hausa]], [[whose]] [[writing]] [[system]] [[does]] [[fine]] [[without]] [[any]] [[tone]] [[or]] [[length]] [[marks]]. [[But]] [[from]] [[the]] [[standpoint]] [[of]] [[those]] [[not]] [[conversant]] [[with]] [[Hausa]] [[pronunciation]]—[[including]] [[non]]-[[native]]-[[speaking]] [[scholars]], [[students]], [[and]] [[everyday]] [[Nigerians]] [[interested]] [[in]] [[studying]] [[or]] [[acquiring]] [[the]] [[language]]—[[what]] [[a]] [[shame]] [[to]] [[exclude]] [[this]] [[information]]. [[even|Even]] [[in]] [[the]] [[ambiguous]] [[cases]], [[where]] [[tone]] [[and]]/[[or]] [[length]] [[distinguish]] [[one]] [[lexeme]] [[from]] [[another]], [[the]] [[new]] [[volume]] [[departs]] [[from]] [[the]] [[customary]] [[practice]] [[in]] [[Hausa]] [[linguistics]] [[of]] [[marking]] [[length]] [[with]] [[a]] [[macron]] [[and]] [[leaving]] [[high]] [[tones]] [[unmarked]], [[which]] [[was]] [[used]] [[in]] [[the]] Yale [[volumes]] [[and]] [[which]] [[is]] [[generally]] [[followed]] [[in]] [[this]] [[review]]. [[instead|Instead]], [[as]] [[the]] [[above]] [[examples]] [lállé:] [[and]] [lállè:] [[illustrate]], [[the]] [[new]] [[transcriptions]] [[follow]] [[the]] [[IPA]]. 

[[one|One]] [[of]] [[the]] [[great]] [[strengths]] [[of]] [[this]] [[dictionary]] [[is]] [[that]], [[like]] [[the]] Yale [[volumes]] [[it]] [[is]] [[based]] [[on]] [[and]] [[to]] [[a]] [[greater]] [[extent]] [[than]] [[most]] [[other]] [[Hausa]] [[dictionaries]], [[Hausa]]-[[English]] [[entries]] [[typically]] [[include]] [[several]] [[definitions]] [[and]], [[where]] [[appropriate]], [[common]] [[short]] [[phrases]] [[built]] [[on]] [[the]] [[entry]] [[word]]. For [[example]], [[the]] [[entry]] [[for]] [[rawa|rawā]] ‘[[dance]]’ [[includes]] [[a]] [[couple]] [[of]] [[metaphorical]] [[glosses]] [[along]] [[with]] [[a]] [[half]] [[dozen]] [[phrases]] [[headed]] [[by]] rawā, [[such]] [[as]] [[rawar]] kâi ‘[[quivering]] [[with]] [[eagerness]]; [[shaking]] one’s [[head]] [[while]] [[speaking]],’ [[and]] [[two]] [[idiomatic]] [[expressions]] [[containing]] [[the]] [[headword]]. [[meanwhile|Meanwhile]], [[English]]-[[Hausa]] [[entries]] [[contain]] [[ample]] [[examples]] [[to]] [[illustrate]] [[the]] [[range]] [[of]] [[uses]] [[of]] [[Hausa]] [[words]] [[in]] [[context]]. For [[example]], [[English]] [[part]] [[has]] [[seven]] [[groups]] [[of]] [[Hausa]] [[equivalents]], [[some]] [[groups]] [[with]] [[more]] [[than]] [[one]] [[equivalent]] [[and]] [[each]] [[one]] [[accompanied]] [[by]] [[an]] [[illustrative]] [[sentence]] [[or]] [[phrase]]. 

[[This]] [[finely]] [[edited]] [[volume]] [[suffers]] [[from]] [[several]] [[production]] [[problems]]. [[choosing|Choosing]] [[a]] [[paperback]] [[format]] [[for]] [[a]] [[627]]-[[page]] [[work]] [[like]] [[this]] [[was]] [[a]] [[stretch]], [[and]] [[the]] [[glued]] [[binding]] [[and]] [[stitching]] [[started]] [[to]] [[give]] [[way]] [[as]] [[soon]] [[as]] [[I]] [[began]] [[thumbing]] [[through]]. With [[normal]] [[use]], I’m [[afraid]] [[the]] [[book]] [[will]] [[soon]] [[have]] [[to]] [[be]] [[carried]] [[around]] [[in]] [[a]] [[bag]]. [[This]] [[perhaps]] [[makes]] [[it]] [[less]] [[important]] [[to]] [[know]] [[whether]] [[the]] [[paper]] [[and]] [[binding]] [[are]] [[acid]]-[[free]], [[a]] [[question]] [[not]] [[answered]] [[in]] [[the]] [[book]]. Another [[failing]] [[is]] [[that]] [[where]] [[we]] [[expect]] [[to]] [[page]] [[566]], [[a]] [[second]] [[copy]] [[of]] [[page]] [[556]] [[appears]] [[instead]]. [[This]] [[means]] [[that]] [[the]] [[volume]] [[is]] [[missing]] [[all]] [[the]] [[entries]] [[intended]] [[for]] [[page]] [[566]]. [[That]] [[would]] [[include]] [[words]] [[from]] [[straight]] [[to]] [[strike]], [[judging]] [[from]] what’s [[in]] [[the]] Yale [[volume]]. While [[the]] [[pages]] [[are]] [[generally]] [[attractive]], [[with]] [[highly]] [[readable]] [[print]] [[and]] [[margins]] [[of]] [[1]].[[5]] [[cm]] [[on]] [[all]] [[sides]], [[the]] [[layout]] [[on]] [[many]] [[pages]] [[suffers]] [[from]] [[incorrect]] [[alignment]] [[between]] [[the]] [[baseline]] [[of]] [[the]] [[headword]] [[and]] [[the]] [[baseline]] [[of]] [[the]] [[rest]] [[of]] [[the]] [[entry]]. [[sometimes|Sometimes]] [[the]] [[headword]] [[is]] [[too]] [[high]], [[sometimes]] [[too]] [[low]], [[sometimes]] [[just]] [[right]]. [[This]] [[may]] [[have]] [[happened]] [[because]] [[headword]] [[font]] [[is]] [[from]] [[a]] [[different]] [[font]] [[family]], [[with]] [[conflicting]] [[leading]] [[and]] [[baseline]] [[parameters]] [[that]] [[may]] [[have]] [[been]] [[difficult]] [[to]] [[reconcile]]. [[This]] [[will]] [[not]] [[be]] [[too]] [[distracting]] [[to]] [[the]] [[user]], [[and]] [[otherwise]] [[the]] [[pages]] [[look]] [[great]]. 

[[An]] [[electronic]] [[version]] [[of]] [[this]] [[dictionary]] [[has]] [[yet]] [[to]] [[be]] [[announced]], [[but]] [[one]] [[hopes]] [[that]] [[it]] [[will]] [[eventually]] [[come]]. [[An]] [[ebook]] [[could]] [[easily]] [[avoid]] [[some]] [[if]] [[not]] [[all]] [[of]] [[the]] [[production]] [[problems]], [[could]] [[prove]] [[much]] [[easier]] [[to]] [[distribute]] [[than]] [[the]] [[bound]] [[version]], [[and]] [[might]] [[well]] [[be]] [[more]] [[convenient]] [[for]] [[many]] [[prospective]] [[users]]. [[It]] [[might]] [[also]] [[give]] [[this]] [[excellent]] [[new]] [[dictionary]] [[a]] [[boost]] [[over]] [[existing]] [[online]] [[versions]]. [[until|Until]] [[then]], [[there]] [[are]] [[at]] [[least]] [[three]] [[large]] [[Hausa]]-[[English]] [[dictionaries]] [[online]]. [[The]] [[most]] [[recent]] [[and]] [[easiest]] [[to]] [[use]] [[is]] ([[Fagge]]) [[Ƙamusun]] [[Hausa]] [[da]] [[Turanci]], https://hausadictionary.com, [[prepared]] [[by]] [[Mahmud]] [[Fagge]] [[with]] [[short]], [[simple]] [[English]] [[glosses]] [[for]] [[of]] [[all]] 15,754 [[entries]] [[in]] [[Ƙamusun]] [[Hausa]], [[the]] [[Hausa]]-[[Hausa]] [[dictionary]] [[mentioned]] [[earlier]], [[at]] [[the]] [[time]] [[of]] [[writing]], [[about]] [[250]] [[more]]. Bargery’s [[massive]] [[Hausa]]-[[English]] Dictionary ([[39]],[[000]] [[words]]) [[also]] [[can]] [[be]] [[searched]] [[on]] [[the]] [[web]] [[at]] http://maguzawa.dyndns.ws/. [[finally|Finally]], [[of]] [[special]] [[interest]] [[for]] [[historical]] [[Hausa]] [[studies]], [[a]] [[scanned]] [[html]] [[version]] [[of]] Robinson [[1899]] [[first]] [[edition]] [[of]] Dictionary [[of]] [[the]] [[Hausa]] Language ([[237]] [[pages]]) [[is]] [[available]] [[at]] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dictionary_of_the_Hausa_Language/RSkUAAAAYAAJ.