allAfrica.com: Nigeria [column]: Revitalising the Igbo Language
Okuko n’akpa nni, anya ufie akonaya (while a chicken scants for food, it should not lose sight of other odd happenings around it) is a brief but all encompassing statement of wisdom used to capture the essence of guarded sovereignty - which in the instance of this write-up will factor in on the plight of our dear but scantily revered Igbo language.

Some people do not think it is an overstatement to refer to our language - the Igbo language as being endangered and facing gargantuan threats of extinction going by its declining level of acceptability amongst umuigbo. It is disheartening to see a language that is supposed to be an insignia, a trademark and a common identity amongst us rather than being proudly flaunted as treated with so much scorn and disdain. We seem to have jettisoned the inter-generational transmission of the Igbo language in exchange for ‘newer trends’, which include the Nigerian pidgin English and the English language with their obvious linguistic threats.

Language in its general connotation is the vehicle with which the culture and traditions of a people are transmitted from generation to generation, and it also helps to enshrine unity, peace and decorum within a given society. Consequently therefore, when a people cannot defend their language, they automatically become an endangered specie, i.e. one with no definite distinguishable language and cultural identity. A clarion call was made by UNESCO who warned that many languages would be extinct by the end of the 21st century. It therefore behoves umuigbo to salvage our heritage from decadence by elevating the Igbo language at all levels of the Igbo society.

Revitalizing the Igbo language means that our children should be taught the language straight from our homes. A scenario where a second language (English) takes precedence over our first language (Igbo) in an Igbo family household, does not do well for the survival of the language. Parents therefore owe it as a point of sacred duty to our fatherland to teach their young infants who are still learning the rudiments of our dear language because it is only in a family setting that kids are easily prone to learning their local dialects. Out there in the school (kindergarten and primary) where they mingle with children from other ethnic groups, vernaculars are usually suspended while the English language ascends into dominance. I had a personal experience in my home sometime in my junior secondary days when our mum sensing her children were no longer proficient enough in spoken English language and gave us a very bizzare rule. I know so many readers of this piece can easily guess what this rule is without losing much steam. Well, without further semantics, her rule stated that the speaking of Igbo in the house be suspended till further notice. Obediently but ignorantly, we complied. You could imagine us then brimming with youthful exuberance at the thought of having our English arsenal sharpened and ready to unleash a barrage on any unfortunate creature whose prowess does not march ours. We finally secured a victim in the person of the housegirl we had then who more often than not confused Igbo with English while talking. The rule finally fell apart because at some point, we all naturally got tired of blowing hot grammar and mum equally got fed up with the role of an enforcer which she bestowed on herself. Dad also intervened to save the situation because the whole thing didn’t make much sense.

This is an example of what is obtainable in many Igbo-speaking families today where you can only guess that a household is ndigbo by the names they call each other but just listen for a little while longer to see if a simple bia will slip out from the tongue of any one of the family members, you’re in for a wait till thy kingdom come. Now tell me when the English speaking virus has infected both the elderly and young ones alike, who is going to be the proverbial one-eyed beggar that will lead a colony of completely blind beggars? There is an Igbo adage that says okenye amanno, ewu amayepu na-ogbuli (an elder will not sit back while the goat releases itself from the rope that holds it bound to a spot). But in this instance, some elders have been found wanting.

The dwindling fortunes of the Igbo language must be halted by any means so as to avoid posterity’s wrath. It calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders in the Igbo project because generations yet unborn should be able to raise their heads high and say that they are ndigbo by virtue of the fact that they can speak the language. The family as the bedrock of any form of learning should inculcate the primary essence of language learning in a child before he or she is exposed to the vagaries and vicissitudes of a cosmopolitan society.

A Research Centre For Igbo Studies should be set up to articulate strategies and policies that would guide us through. This centre could be an arm of our apex socio-cultural organizing symposiums, workshops and seminars that will educate and enlighten school pupils, market women, business men/traders, civil servants etc on the need for proficiency in written and oral literature. This department can partner with traditional rulers, prominent sons and daughters of Igboland and civil society groups to surmount this arduous task. An orthography committee should then be set up to formulate modalities for producing an Igbo language Dictionary. Publishers can publish daily, weekly or even monthly newspapers and bulletins in Igbo language and circulated to every nook and cranny of this nation.

The state governments of the eastern region should make the teaching of the language mandatory at both the primary and secondary levels of education for both public and primary schools. Pupils should then be encouraged to take up Igbo literature courses in tertiary institutions by the award of exclusive scholarships and special bursary allowance packages in their favour. The federal government should on its part, make concerted efforts at arresting the declining fortunes of Nigerian languages by ensuring the practical realization of the language policy statements as enunciated in the National Policy on Education.

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Get Hip on the ‘STREET TALK’ — ‘Phat’ New Dictionary ‘Flips the Script’ on Proper English
Get Hip on the ‘STREET TALK’ — ‘Phat’ New Dictionary ‘Flips the Script’ on Proper English

NEW YORK, November 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) — Any parent or teacher can attest that rap has birthed a whole different language that lives on the tongues of America’s youth. Anyone who thinks 50 Cent is something one uses to buy a soda or Eminem is a little candy-shelled chocolate treat needs to get their mitts on Street Talk: Da Official Guide to Hip-Hop and Urban Slanguage (now available through AuthorHouse), the definitive dictionary by Randy ‘Moe Deezy’ Kearse.

“If you have had a hard time following or keeping up with the fast pace of hip-hop and urban ’street’ lingo then (this) is the book for you. STREET TALK simplifies this often complex and gritty language in an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow way,” Kearse says.

Move over Webster because STREET TALK is a comprehensive reference guide that redefines the English language. Kearse interprets the urban vernacular used by those immersed in the hip-hop culture. Whether from rap lyrics or off the streets, Kearse covers everything over the course of more than 700 pages and 10,000 entries. Written in the same manner as a normal dictionary, the book includes phonetic pronunciation, word origin, contextual examples and clear, concise definitions so the most hip-hop inept person can “holler” with “slimmys,” “dukes” or any of their young “duns.” The following offers a glimpse inside the covers of this enlightening cultural dictionary:

(a) hood divorce: phrase (general sl.) new school

1. the unofficial separation of a married couple where they are legally married but date other people; a divorce without the paperwork

ex: “They was hood divorced for two years.”

STREET TALK “got the hook-up” for all the urban lingo. Educators, parents and anyone who interacts with young people can now decipher the covert words, phrases and meanings “bumping in their Benzes, Jeeps and Geos” and “slinging” from their mouths. Kearse’s definitive guide is already earning praise from critics from the “Dirty South” to the West Coast and East Coast and all points in between.

“STREET TALK is the official ’street’ thesaurus,” J.M. Benjamin, author of Down in the Dirty, says. “Everyone from the ‘hood to Hollywood should own a copy, especially if you’re ready to step ya talk-game up.”

With his finger “on the pulse of hip-hop and urban culture,” Kearse is a true “slanguist” born and raised in the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y. From an early age, his “verbal aptitude” has allowed him to stand out among his peers. With the publication of STREET TALK, his first book, Kearse has given hip-hop its fifth element, which consists of “DJing,” break dancing, rhyming, graffiti and now, “slanguage.” More information is available at www.certifiedstreettalk.com.

recension
A critical revision of a text incorporating the most plausible elements found in varying sources.
A text so revised.

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This word is not in much usage as it is very specialized and outside of the publishing world finds not much usage. but if you see the whole web most of the content is a recension in one way or the other. Especially the blogs today edit and publish information from multiple sources. They choose which makes sense to the editor and some correction in terms of the amount of text links and references.

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google contains
Results 1 - 10 of about 2,240,000 for recension

but i think these are mostly for pages that contain the word as part of some text rather than a special emphasis. For people looking for a nich this is a good start.

The domain may be available as well.
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courant.com | Over The River, Through The Words
If there’s a word lover on your holiday shopping list - or you’re a word lover who’s listing from holiday shopping - consider one of these new books about language.

Your mischievous brother will savor “The Revenge of Anguished English” (St. Martin’s, $22.95), Richard Lederer’s latest collection of howlers from publications, including church bulletins (”Please welcome Pastor Don, a caring individual who loves hurting people”) and classified ads (”Nordic track $300. Hardly used. Call Chubby”).
Your grammar-minded aunt will enjoy “The Elements of Style Illustrated” (Penguin, $24.95), a new edition of the classic guide to usage that complements the sage advice of William Strunk and E.B. White with the vibrant illustrations of Maira Kalman, creator of many New Yorker covers.

If your teenage niece is, like, always using “like,” give her “The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style” (Houghton Mifflin, $19.95). In this hip compendium, she’ll discover two categories of the teenager’s “like”: the intrusive “like” (”He’s like a lab tech or something”) and the direct speech “like” (”So I’m like, `Let’s leave.’”). But she’ll also discover that the book’s editors are all like, “avoid both uses in writing.”

Does your nephew know that “seltzer” derives from the German village of Selters and that Argentina is named for the silver found there? He’ll discover the curiosities in “Another Word a Day” (Wiley, $14.95) Anu Garg’s second collection of daily offerings from his popular Word a Day website (wordsmith.org).

Does your politically savvy uncle know which presidents the Secret Service dubbed “Lancer,” “Eagle” and “Trailblazer”? Give him a dose of “Vitamin Q - A Temple of Trivia Lists and Curious Words” by Roddy Lumsden (Chambers, $14.00), and he’ll recognize John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, respectively.

Your college-bound sister will appreciate the two-in-one American Heritage Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus (Houghton Mifflin, $20). The bottom of each page provides a batch (bunch, bundle, bevy) of synonyms for the entries above.

Need a stocking stuffer? Consider the American Heritage Abbreviations Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin, $6.95) and the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (Oxford, $14.95). These handy pocket editions remind us that “Xmas” (to quote the former) is “compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together” (to quote Garrison Keillor in the latter).

Rob Kyff is a teacher and writer in West Hartford. Write to him in care of The Courant, Features Department, 285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115.

Dictionary of Republicanisms - Yahoo! News

The Rising Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nov. 18: Minister for Education and Sports, Radha Krishna Mainali and British Ambassador Keith Bloomfield jointly launched the ‘A Practical Dictionary of Modern Nepali’ amidst a function Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Mainali said that the dictionary would help South Asian studies of which Nepali was an important part. The British envoy said that the dictionary was an important milestone for Nepali language and would be of practical help for Nepali learners.
The dictionary was compiled by a team from the University of California Berkeley, headed by Dr. Ruth Schmidt, a renowned lexicographer in cooperation with Nepalese scholars from the Tribhuwan University and was published by Ratna Sagar Private Limited.
Dr. Morna Nance, regional director of the British Council for Central and South Asia, said that she planned to stock the dictionary at the British Council libraries across central and South Asia.

EiTB24.com
Royal Academy of the Basque Language finishes 16-volume dictionary
The final volume of dictionary Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia-Diccionario General Vasco has been completed today, after 18 years of hard work. At the presentation ceremony, academy member Ibon Sarasola has explained that “it is a descriptive work, not a prescriptive one that expects to gather the large lexicographical heritage of the Basque language”.
Euskaltzaindia, the Royal Academy of the Basque Language, has presented today the last volume of the 16-volume dictionary, Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia-Diccionario General Vasco, after 18 years of hard work that began professor and academy member Koldo Mitxelena.

The last volume as well as the other 15 ones have been introduced today to the media. Among others, president of Euskaltzaindia Andres Urrutia and Ibon Sarasola, academy member and the person in charge of the project since the death of Mitxelena, have attended the ceremony.

Sarasola has specified that the dictionary “expects to collect the large lexicographical heritage of the Basque language, of all times and places. It is, therefore, a descriptive work, not a prescriptive one”, which main aim is to show the most complete work about the different ways of speech through the centuries.

The conscientious and meticulous development of this project has lasted 18 years. The dictionary has 125,987 entries and 14,028 pages.

Over to an art dictionary- The Times of India
After ten years of meticulous research, artist Pratima Sheth has come up with an extensive all-inclusive dictionary on Indian art.

Ever found yourself grappling with the meaning of terms ‘aquarelle’ and didn’t know where to look the word up? After ten years of meticulous research, artist Pratima Sheth has come up with an extensive all-inclusive dictionary on Indian art.

This endeavour seeks to demystify some uncommon and often intimidating art terms, while at the same time giving an insight into the works of Indian artists.

“Art is something that speaks for itself and needs no explanation,” says Pratima, adding, “But very often arty jargon like ‘medium’, ’style’, ‘genre’ and ’school’ need a little clarification, especially for the lay man.”

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ Medical Dictionary
As suggested by the name, these atoms and molecules — also known as oxidants — have a “free,” unpaired electron. These spare electrons make the atoms unstable and highly susceptible to chemical reactions with other more stable atoms.
Because atoms want to be stable, those that aren’t will seek out the electron they require to make a pair, even if that means taking it from another molecule. Sometimes, this alteration of the “donor” atom can turn it into another free radical, which repeats the electron-robbing process. This eventually can cause tissue damage and is thought to contribute to a range of health effects including aging, heart disease, cancer and mental disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
The body is equipped with tools called antioxidant systems to keep free radicals in check, but stress, aging, pollution and cigarette smoke, among other things, can introduce additional free radicals and upset that balance. Foods like tomatoes, citrus fruits, fish and dark-green vegetables are good sources of antioxidants and can help keep free radicals at a healthy level.