PAL starts work on first digital dictionary

Project has been approved by relevant authorities while work on collection of resource material has been started

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) has initiated work on the national-level project of compiling a first- ever comprehensive digital dictionary of more than 70 Pakistani languages.

The project has been approved by the relevant authorities while work on the collection of resource material has been started.

"The idea of compiling this dictionary is to create a dictionary of different Pakistani languages to keep these languages alive for the future generations", said coordinator of the project, Asim Butt.

He said that there are over 80 regional languages of Pakistani while those having script have been included in the dictionary.

The dictionary will provide meanings of a single word in different Pakistani languages which is a unique idea. Initially, the dictionary will be launched digitally, however, it will be published in print form in the next stage, he added. He said that the basic reference for this newly launched initiative will be one of the dictionaries published by the Urdu Dictionary board or the one compiled by Jamil Jalbi to ensure authenticity.

"This is an ambitious idea which has been approved by the BoD and now formal work has been started on the project,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2022.