The Judson Burmese-English dictionary
The compiler was led to undertake the preparation and publication of the present enlarged edition of Dr. Judson's Burmese-English Dictionary, by the warm encouragement received from Sir Charles Bernard, K. C. S. I., the Chief Commissioner of British Burma, and from his Secretary, Mr. G. D. Burgess, C. S. I., who first suggested the desirability of publishing a new edition, with examples exemplifying the use of the words therein contained.
It has been the aim of the compiler, throughout this edition of Dr. Judson's Burmese-English Dictionary, in no way to disturb the original arrangement of it, and also to endeavor to harmonize his own additions with the general character of the original work, as far as possible. The special features of this edition are the following: —
(1) It has a considerable number of new words not contained in former ones.
(2) Most of the words have; examples showing their use.
(3) Both the written and colloquial forms of expression are exemplified.
(4) It contains many excerpts from the best authorities regarding Buddhist religious and metaphysical terms.
(5) The exact pronunciation of many words is given.
(6j It contains many proverbs, aphorisms, old and quaint sayings that have not hitherto been published. The compiler wishes to express his deep acknowledgments for the many definitions of Buddhist religious and metaphysical terms, to the works of the Right Rev. Paul Bigandet, the much-venerated Roman Catholic Bishop of Rangoon, and the Rev. Spence Hardy, formerly of the Ceylon Wesleyan Mission, author of "Manual of Buddhism" and ''Eastern Monachism."
The present edition of the Judson Dictionary, Burmese and English, will be found to differ in several particulars from the edition issued by Mr. Stevenson in 1893. The whole work has been carefully revised, and to some extent, enlarged.
A few of the changes and additions may be mentioned.
1 The spelling of Burmese words has been made to conform to the Government standard, as revised by the Text-book Committee. For the convenience of those who have been accustomed to another system of spelling, many words are inserted with a brief definition under the former spelling, and a reference given to the new spelling where the word is more fully defined and its derivatives given, .
2 The dash ( ) formerly used to represent the verbal root in its derivatives, has been superseded by the root word. Wherever there is a change in the root, without a corresponding change in spelling, such change is indicated by a dagger (f).
3 Initials formerly appended to definitions have been discontinued, save in the case of a few quotations which seem to require formal acknowledgment.
4 Most of the illustrative and explanatory notes which before were inserted in the body of the Dictionary, will now be found in Appendix A. The numbers in parentheses refer to the numbers of the corresponding Notes in the Appendix.
5 Burmese Proverbs and Quaint Sayings are reproduced in Appendix B. 6 As only a portion of the colloquial terms occurring in the Dictionary are indicated as such where they occur, a list of the more common colloquialisms, together with their corresponding formal expressions, has been given in Appendix C. 7 In Appendix D about five hundred pairs of antonyms have been arranged in order, with their Burmese equivalents. When the antonyms sought contain a moral quality, that expressing the good quality will usually be found in the first column. 8 While the present edition of the Dictionary is comprised in a smaller compass than the edition of 1893, it contains more than forty pages of new material.
by Adoniram Judson, Robert Charles Stevenson, and Frederick Howard