English-Dhivehi dictionary launched after 8 years of work
The 1,192-page dictionary weighs more than two kilograms and provides Dhivehi meanings for English words.
Dr Hassan Hameed, an education expert and former Chancellor of the Maldives National University (MNU), launched an English-Dhivehi dictionary containing 120,000 words at a ceremony held at the MNU on Sunday.
The 1,192-page dictionary weighs more than two kilograms and provides Dhivehi meanings for English words. The book is intended for students, readers and translators.
Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who launched the book, described it as a “treasure” because of the information it contains and the work involved in compiling it.
“Dr Hassan Hameed is not just a doctor by name. He is an active scholar who is doing scientific work in practice,” Gayoom said at the ceremony.
He said compiling a dictionary of this size requires years of work and praised Dr Hameed’s efforts in completing the book.
Dr Hameed said he spent eight years working on the dictionary, with some days beginning at 6am and continuing until 9pm.
He said he referred to old Dhivehi books and studied the origins of the language to identify and include words that are no longer commonly used.
Where a direct Dhivehi equivalent for an English word was not available, Dr Hameed said he used words from Sinhala, Arabic, Urdu and Japanese that correspond with Dhivehi sounds.
Dr Hameed also called for greater use of Dhivehi words instead of English words when communicating in Dhivehi. He said being able to speak without relying on English is an achievement and that children should be taught the value of using Dhivehi.
The dictionary is the latest publication by Dr Hameed, who has worked in the education sector for more than 40 years.
