The publication of Oxford University Press’s long-awaited Welsh dictionary is now imminent. Six years in preparation, the Pocket Modern Welsh Dictionary (editor Gareth King) will be a milestone in Welsh lexicography, representing a modern and user-friendly approach to the Welsh language as a vibrant and dynamic medium of communication in the new millennium. This two-way dictionary, designed and compiled primarily with the needs of learners of the language in mind, comes with a range of revolutionary innovations:
- illustrative sentences and examples from everyday Welsh as spoken and in the media for many headwords on the Welsh–English side
- translation guidelines giving help in problem areas where Welsh and English usage differ
- full grammatical information for all word categories: genders and plurals of all nouns, unpredictable verb stems, comparative forms of adjectives, special personal forms of prepositions
- detailed coverage of the system of initial mutations – what they are, where they are used, and how to spot them. In addition, all incidences of mutation in the illustrative sentences and examples are marked by special typographical devices
- special usage boxes dealing in detail with major points of difficulty, e.g. numbers, verb ‘to be’, particles yn and ynº, particle mo, focused sentences, and many more
- a completely up-to-date wordbase, including terms for a wide variety of modern concepts – skateboard, scratchcard, ozone layer, National Assembly, software, hang-gliding, micorowave oven, CD-player, satellite TV, to name but a few
The Pocket Modern Welsh Dictionary is to be Waterstones bookstore chain’s Book of the Month in Wales for April 2000 – recognition of an important publishing event for the Welsh language and all its friends. This modern, new-look and user-friendly dictionary, backed by the considerable lexicographical expertise and reputation of the Oxford imprimatur, truly brings the Welsh language into the 21st century.
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