Learning maths and science in a second or third language has resulted in a large number of black pupils failing or dropping these school subjects, said researchers at the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa yesterday.

The researchers have compiled the first Xhosa dictionaries to focus on chemistry, biology, mathematics and technology terms.

“Mathematics is difficult when you are not learning it in your mother tongue,” said researcher Keith Welman. “Hexagon, pentagon are big words. Some of these terms are even difficult for English-speaking pupils.

“This is why black children drop maths and why others perform below par.”
With the introduction of the dictionaries as a resource in maths and science classrooms, teachers will now also be able to explain terms in Xhosa.

Researcher Zola Wababa said that although there were some Xhosa maths and science terms used by teachers and pupils, they were never standardised.

Wababa said they had to coin most of the terms and standardised the ones being used.

Compiling the dictionaries took almost three years. The natural science dictionary, which focuses on chemistry, biology and technology, consists of more than 3 500 terms.

The researchers said English terms were broken down, carefully studied, translated into Xhosa and explained.

The dictionaries were trilingual, they said, with terms explained in Xhosa, English and Afrikaans.

Xhosa must be used as a language of teaching and assessment in order to improve maths and science results at black schools, said Wababa.

“Some teachers say language is not an issue because maths and science focus on symbols. But you need language to explain symbols,” he said.

Wababa said they tested the dictionaries on a group of teachers, who used it as a teaching tool in their lessons, and “had a good response”.

The natural science dictionary is currently being printed.

Wababa said the researchers hoped the dictionaries would be implemented at schools next year but were still negotiating with the Western Cape Education Department.

“This project is complimentary for mother-tongue-based bilingual education,” said Wababa.

MUSCAT — Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has provided the Ministry of Education with 400 copies of its recently issued Oil and Gas Dictionary for distribution to schools in the Sultanate. PDO’s donation was formally accepted by Saud bin Salim Al Balushi, director-general of curricula, at a ceremony yesterday attended by various PDO officials and senior ministry staff.

The PDO is the major exploration and production company in the Sultanate. It accounts for about 90 per cent of the country’s crude-oil production and nearly all of its natural gas supply.

The 320-page book, which was researched, compiled and produced entirely in house by PDO, contains a comprehensive list of oil- and gas-related terms with corresponding definitions in Arabic. Photographs, illustrations, diagrams and footnotes help to further elucidate some of the more complex terms listed in the dictionary.

Following the publication of the lexicon earlier this year as PDO’s contribution towards the national effort to designate Muscat as the ‘Capital of Arab Culture 2006’, the Ministry of Education approached PDO with a formal request to be provided copies for distribution to schools across the country.

“With the advancement of technology, new oil and gas terms are constantly coming into circulation, often outpacing efforts to have them included in technical dictionaries,” said Abdul Amir bin Abdul Hussain Al Ajmi, PDO’s external affairs and communications manager.

“For want of suitable dictionaries, non-English speakers often find themselves confounded by industry jargon. But with PDO’s new Oil and Gas Dictionary, Arabic speakers can familiarise themselves with the such terminology as easily as they would check out a word or phrase in a regular dictionary,” he added.

“This is certainly not the first time that PDO has teamed up with the Ministry of Education to spread knowledge to the country’s children,” Al Ajmi said.

“For the last three years or so we have also been publishing a quarterly educational magazine titled Al Manhal, which — with the aid of the ministry — is also being distributed to all schools in the Sultanate.”

“The Oil and Gas Dictionary is just the latest initiative we have taken to try to help the public learn about the industry that is the lifeblood of this nation. Last month we organised a course for local journalists on the enhanced oil recovery techniques that PDO intends to apply over the coming years to maintain its oil production levels. And we also have issued a booklet about the oil and gas industry for schoolchildren who regularly visit our Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre,” Al Ajmi added.

Books and literature reveal culture and history. If we want to show our culture to the entire world, or if we want to experience the culture of the rest of the world, we need well-translated books-and if we want well translated books we need a good dictionary. A new English-Georgian Dictionary comprising about 160 000 entries is being published in by the Lexicographic Centre at the department of English philology of Tbilisi State University.

The dictionary is being published in installments, known to the dictionary loving world as fascicles, a practice which has precedents both in Georgia and the rest of the world. Twelve fascicles have emerged so far, and the thirteenth is due to be published in November. The dictionary should be completely ready in three years time.

“Today we are holding the presentation of an uncompleted project; our aim is to show people what has already been achieved. Our wish is to give more people the opportunity of using this dictionary, hence we decided to publish it in fascicles and thus make it more affordable,” Tinatin Margalitadze, docent (that means university teacher to those of you without a decent dictionary of your own), editor and publisher of the English-Georgian dictionary, told The Messenger on July 7.

She also pointed out that a project that carries such nation wide importance needs financial support from the state and other donors in order to carry out its task properly.

“We want to finish our dictionary as soon as possible, but it is very hard for me to finance such a big project alone. If I had other financial sources then I would be able to employ 8 editors instead of 4 and the project would be completed very soon,” Margalitadze said.

The dictionary is essentially based on I. Galperin’s New English-Russian Dictionary (150 000 entries) and its supplement (12 000 entries), but it has been fully revised and enlarged on the basis of the Oxford, Webster, Longman, COBUILD and other dictionaries.

“We are going to unite the fascicles and publish our dictionary in two volumes under the name of Margaliti. We also want to produce a computer version,” said Margalitadze.

The dictionary is primarily intended for specialists of the English language - teachers, linguists, literary critics, translators, students and others, who use English in their work or just want to read English books in the original language. The dictionary is also designed for specialists in different fields and contains various technical terminologies. It is hoped that the dictionary will also be of considerable service to foreigners interested in Georgian.

“This dictionary is equally important for scientists, linguists and professionals of any specialty. With the help of this dictionary we will be able to carry out our work more easily as it contains the terminology necessary in many specialties. It makes our work simpler,” Professor Rusudan Enukidze told The Messenger.

Inesa Merabishvili, Professor and translator, highlighted the importance of the new dictionary for Georgian translators, who in previous years had no choice but to use only English-Russian and then Russian-Georgian dictionaries while translating books from English into Georgian and vice versa.

“Publishing a good dictionary is especially important for translators and specialists of English studies. I have translated several books from English into Georgian, I want to point out that we had to use Russian-Georgian dictionaries while translating and it was really hard work. Now the work will be easier for us as well as for young translators,” Inesa Merabishvili told the paper.

The English-Georgian dictionary has gone through a long and difficult birth. In the 1960s the department of English Philology, on the initiative of famous Georgian translator, Professor Givi Gachechiladze, started working on the dictionary. In 1984 the department invited docent Tinatin Margalitadze as the editor and head of the project; the first fascicle was published in 1995.

“Creating a dictionary is very hard work… but today there are already published 12 fascicles. We are proud and pleased because we, the editorial staff, love our job, we know very well the importance of the dictionary for our nation and its future generations,” Medea Zaalishvili, a member of the editorial staff, told The Messenger.

ANKARA: The Turkish Language Institute has ordered the removal from its dictionaries of proverbs that incite wife-beating and project women as the “devil version of men”.

The guardian of the Turkish language says widely used phrases depicting women as second-class citizens must not be passed on to new generations.

“Our mothers, our wives, our daughters, our sisters are all the most valuable individuals in our society,” said Sukru Haluk Akalin, head of the institute, explaining the ruling.

“How can we deny the efforts they invested in us?”

Despite the country having had several female judges and successful businesswomen as well as a female prime minister, the candidate country for the European Union remains a deeply macho society.

The EU often urges Turkey to improve the treatment of women. But judicial reforms have done little to achieve equality between the sexes.

Many of the sayings hark back centuries to when Turks were nomadic tribes roaming Central Asia on horseback.

“A good horse needs just a little food and a good woman needs just a pair of pants (ie, is not demanding)” is one.

Some, such as “Do not leave a woman’s back wanting for beatings or a woman’s belly wanting for babies,” are still used, albeit often in jest.

The extent of domestic violence and multiple pregnancies shows that the spirit of the phrase remains commonplace.

“Honour killings” of women accused of sullying the family name still occur in Turkey.

Women’s groups in the more traditional east and southeast of the country say that tougher sentences against men convicted of such killings have been followed by an increase in suspicious female suicides.

There is speculation that families have found other ways to dispose of their shamed womenfolk. The claims are being investigated by the UN.

The mass-circulation Hurriyet newspaper last year began a campaign against domestic violence, winning support from other media outlets and the Government.

The dictionary reform appears to be one of the fruits of the efforts, along with a campaign by the Directorate of Religious Affairs to rewrite certain phrases that it says are wrongly attributed to the Prophet Mohammed.

Webster has added words such as “bling” and “ho-bag” to its pages, and some faculty don’t believe it will hurt the English language.

Or even affect it.

“It does not deserve any lengthy discussion because … it is not going to affect the language or its development in any way,” said Victor Raskin, professor of English and linguistics, in an e-mail.

Other professors said English is constantly evolving, and a dictionary is just a sample of what words are being utilized.

“I think language is always changing,” said Margie Berns, director of the Graduate Program in English as a Second Language. “A dictionary is a description of the current language.”

Berns said seemingly harmless words have also been historically controversial.

“People disapproved of the word bookkeeper because of its bringing two words together,” she said. “And now we can’t imagine not having the word.”

Shaun Hughes, professor of English, also cited past controversy in the dictionary business and word usage acceptability, such as when the New York Times refused to accept prescriptive word definitions in 1934, and prompted the American Heritage Foundation to create its own dictionary.

“They ended up with entries in which the editors voted on the acceptability of word usage,” Hughes said in an e-mail. “What was significant was that it was almost impossible to get 100 percent agreement on particular cases, and subsequent editions of the American Heritage Dictionary have become increasingly descriptive.”

Elaine Francis, assistant professor of English, said dictionary editors take painstaking care to reflect the current usage of English.

“The editors wouldn’t be likely to include words that are used as jargon or slang by a small subset of people,” Francis said in an e-mail.

Other comments from faculty include

n “The language users do not consult any dictionary before embarking on innovation, as they constantly do, and all dictionaries are a decade or two behind the actual usage.” - Raskin

n “Not all slang words make it into the dictionary, just the ones that editors determine have become sufficiently part of the current cultural scene that they can be considered established … but editors do have a responsibility to record what they determine to be the most significant changes and innovations in our vocabulary.” - Hughes

n “Dictionaries probably do have some impact on the language … but first and foremost the role of dictionaries is to provide accurate information about all of the words in a language that are found in common usage.” - Francis

Irregardless is not a word. Neither are lite, nite, ain’t, thru, Xmas, and a whole slew of other words that have found their way into our language. Daily newspapers are not necessarily a leader in the use of these misdemeanors of English, but their articles and feeds from the wire services usually contain a fair number of them.

I’ve heard the argument that, “It’s in the dictionary, so it must be right.” That’s not necessarily true. You’ll find all kinds of non-words, including numerous obscene and vulgar entries in unabridged (and some abridged) dictionaries simply because they are in common use. That don’t make it good. Or neat-o. And before you start picking this column to shreds, remember that this is the “speak” that many people use today.

By the way, you shouldn’t ever start a sentence with a connective (but, or, and), but there they are anyways. And there is no “s” on the end of anyway. Of course, any way you look at it, anyway is one word when you feel like making it one word, I guess. Double negatives? I won’t even go there.
TV and print advertising employ lots of common slang. Unfortunately, children accept the media as a substitute English teacher. “I heard it on TV last night.” To make matters worse, the language is mispronounced in a horrendous fashion. I once heard someone sing a song that I swear sounded like, “There’s no mayonnaise in Ireland.” Turns out it was, “No Man is an Island.”

This is all about the quality of education. The public schools are so bloated with administrators that you probably can’t expect all of the teachers (who make less than the fat cats) to get really interested in doing a good job. Then there’s the matter of tenure. Tenure is a sort of philosophical thing that means the longer you hang around, the less likely you are to be fired for not doing your job.

There’s the rub. The schools continue to ask for additional money for increased salaries and new buildings, but I see no evidence of any improvement in the quality of education. For example, how often do you see these words used incorrectly?

their, there and they’re

affect and effect

accept and except

its and it’s

led and lead

your and you’re

all right (alright is still not all right)

Several others come to mind, but you get the point.

My high school English class had about 40 students in it. Compare that to today’s 25 (or fewer) students. The school was beat-up, the teachers were underpaid (and most of them were downright homely), but my education was adequate. You’d think that with today’s smaller classes, higher salaries and newer schools, we’d get more bang for our buck.

Sadly, it isn’t so. Spending more money doesn’t seem to work. That’s precisely why I voted against an increase in taxes and the special bond issue. I think that most students today should be able to spell Sri Lanka and find it on a world map. Most of them can’t do either.

Google dictionary, and you’ll get a list of dictionaries. Now, look up google in the dictionary, and you’ll find a verb.

Editors added the verb google as a verb to the newest edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Its meaning is to find out information about a person or topic using Google.

Other words joining google are drama queen, empty suit and unibrow.

Company spokesperson John Morse says words must be in everyday use and have staying power to appear in the dictionary.

Googling John Morse, by the way, turns up several unrelated people.

MANCHESTER - It’s a milestone year for Merriam-Webster, the American pioneer of language reference publishing. Two hundred years ago the company’s namesake Noah Webster created “A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language” - the very first dictionary to reflect the unique culture and vocabulary of the American people.

Along with introducing a reform from British spelling (colour to color; musick to music), the volume included thousands of words (chowder, hickory, skunk) which were in daily use in America, but not listed in any other lexicon.

To celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of this first truly “Americanized” dictionary, on Friday at 7 p.m., Merriam-Webster’s president and publisher John M. Morse will speak at the Northshire Bookstore from for a lively discussion titled “Dictionaries and Democracy: 200 Years of Dictionary Making in America.”

Morse’s presentation will focus on how Noah Webster and his successors-the brothers George and Charles Merriam-continued throughout the 19th century to maintain the first American dictionary’s status as the “quintessential democratic document.” Morse will also touch upon how Webster’s legacy still resonates in the 21stcentury, as Merriam-Webster continues to lead the way in electronic and online language publishing.

“The same convictions that inspired Webster to create the first American dictionary continue to motivate Merriam-Webster’s lexicographers to this day,” said Morse. “What has changed considerably, of course, is the ever-evolving English language itself, and the method we now have to access that wealth of information. Merriam-Webster now has a fully searchable electronic database containing more than 60 million words-a vast body of knowledge which allows us to study language in ways Noah Webster never dreamed of.”

Beginning his tenure at Merriam-Webster in 1980, John Morse’s responsibilities as President and Publisher now include all company operations. He continues to be actively involved in the company’s editorial process, including the creation of the best-selling Merriam-Webster’s CollegiateR Dictionary, 11th Edition. A distinguished scholar and engaging speaker, Morse has brought his expertise and love of language to a wide range of regional and local forums throughout the country, and has been seen and heard on a variety of radio and television programs including NPR’s Morning Edition, CNBC’s Power Lunch, and C-SPAN’s BookTV.

For more information on this and other events, call 802-362-2200 or 1-800-437-3700, or visit the Northshire Bookstore Web site at www.northshire.com.

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated Merriam-Webster Inc. acquired the rights to revise and publish Noah Webster’s dictionaries in 1843. Since then, Merriam-Webster has maintained an ongoing commitment to innovation, scholarship, and love of language.

Today, the company continues as the leader in both print and electronic language reference publishing with reference products, learning tools, and word games. For more information about the company, and about Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, visit Merriam-Webster onLine at www.Merriam-Webster.com.

Thimphu - A comprehensive English-Dzongkha dictionary, which will have over 30,000 words, is all set for release in the Bhutanese kingdom this month. Dzongkha is Bhutan’s dominant language.

Publishers Dzongkha Development Authority (DDA) will print about 3,000 copies, which will be distributed to schools, government departments and other sectors free of cost.

Developed over more than four years, the dictionary with over 90,000 Dzongkha equivalents is described by experts as the first of its kind that fulfils the ‘dictionary criteria’.

Researcher Pema Wangdi says the new lexicon, based on the Oxford Popular School Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, tries to distinguish different word senses in a series of numbered equivalence.

‘We have tried to define the English word in its closest Dzongkha equivalent,’ Wangdi was quoted as saying by Bhutan’s national newspaper Kuensel.

‘This will allow people more choices to pick and choose words to fit their context.’

However, the definitions are not strictly restricted to Dzongkha only.

Wangdi pointed out that for some English words whose equivalents were not found in the Dzongkha vocabulary, they have been borrowed from Choeked (classical Tibetan text) and other regional dialects such as Tshangla, Brokpa and Bumthap.

For example, the word ‘gowtshor’ in Brokpa perfectly fits the word ‘love’ in English, both in its verb and noun usage.

‘We have used words from other dialects that explains the English equivalent beautifully,’ he pointed out.

But Wangdi said only those words that are easy to spell in Dzongkha have been taken into account ‘to avoid confusion’.

Developed over a series of meetings where experts deliberated on endless debates and discussions, the dictionary would be provisional and subject to further discussions and changes based on feedback from readers.

With over 30,000 words as the main entries, the researchers are convinced that except for some cultural specific words, most of the words in the English vocabulary have been incorporated in the new dictionary.

The headwords, which are the general root words, are arranged in alphabetical order with no phonetics and no grammatical information.

Wangdi said the need was not called for because such facilities were available in the English dictionaries that are found in abundance in the country.

Civil servants, translators, interpreters and students are the potential target readers, the publishers said.

‘The sole purpose of the dictionary is to promote Dzongkha language through English,’ said Dorji Gyeltshen.

‘With this publication, people should now be able to use Dzongkha more frequently and in its correct form,’ he said.