Diana Carroll

Digitising the Malay-English Dictionary

This article by Bobby Graham was published in the Petherick Newsletter Dec 07-Jan 08

The generosity of scholar and Library supporter Diana Carroll has made it possible to conserve a rare Malay-English dictionary through digitisation, making it accessible to scholars throughout the world and, importantly, to her colleagues in Malaysia.

The dictionary is A Malay-English Dictionary, compiled by R.J. Wilkinson, published in 1903 in Singapore by Kelly & Walsh.  Click on the image below for a larger version:

A Malal-English Dictionary

Bobby Graham, NLA Development Program Manager, spoke with Diana, a former Library member of staff and currently a Petherick Reader:

Who compiled this dictionary?

“Richard James Wilkinson (1867-1941), chief compiler of the dictionary joined the British Colonial service in 1889 as a Straits Settlements cadet.  He was posted in Singapore until 1902 when he was transferred to the Dindings and in 1903 became Inspector of Schools. It was during this early period of his career that he compiled the dictionary. (He was later Colonial Secretary of Singapore from 1911 to 1916 and Governor of Sierra Leone from 1916 to 1922.)

“Paradoxically, Wilkinson was a great advocate of romanisation. He is probably best known for his 1932 (Romanised) Malay-English Dictionary.”

What is significant about this dictionary?

“The Malay arabic script tulisan Melayu known as Jawi was used in present day Malaysia and Singapore until 1972. The Straits (eventually Malaysian) Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (SBRAS), located in Singapore, was founded in 1877 as a learned society. The preparation and publication of a Jawi-English dictionary was included among its earliest projects. It was agreed that it should be prepared as an update and expansion of William Marsden's 1812 dictionary. (Marsden's dictionary was the first true [scholarly] dictionary as opposed to a vocabulary or word list.  Marsden's dictionary had been translated into Dutch and used by all succeeding Dutch lexicographers. Marsden's Dictionary is an eighteenth century work and a vital reference for Malay correspondence, records and classical Malay manuscripts. Its publication was delayed because Marsden joined the Admiralty Office and was Second, then First Secretary during the Napoleonic War period. It was reprinted by Oxford University Press in 1984.)

“Wilkinson's Dictionary is the last great Jawi Dictionary and vital for nineteenth and early twentieth century texts and manuscripts. The work was cooperative with many members of the SBRAS contributing and overseeing the volumes through the press while Wilkinson was on home leave in 1902-03.

“It is very unlikely it will ever be reprinted. Therefore the only way to ensure scholarly and student access to this vital tool is digitisation. Digisation offers certain advantages for reference use.”

What prompted you to support this particular book?

“As a Petherick Reader, I wanted to contribute something for the Library and to support its efforts to conserve and disseminate its valuable materials and to show that ordinary people have a part to play in caring for the nation's intellectual resources. 

“I supported this book for various reasons: (a) as a thank you to Professors Virginia Matheson Hooker, Campbell Macknight and Anthony Milner (my PhD supervisors); (b) because I was using the Luce copy and I owe thanks to the family; (c) because I could see that major damage had occurred during interlibrary lending and it was in dire need of conservation. Since it was to be rebound this was the ideal opportunity.”

How does digitizing the book make it more accessible?

“Apart from preserving the original and saving it from further in-house and interlibrary loan wear and tear, digisation offers easier access than manual.  (particularly as the work is a large folio, two volume edition, made even more cumbersome when, as in some cases the two volumes are bound as one).

“The dictionary follows the Jawi alphabetical order, and was suited to digitisation because it includes an index in romanised Malay giving the page on which the word is to be found. In the digitised version of the dictionary, a link has been set up between each word in the index and the relevant page in the dictionary. Once the romanised word is found in the index, it is instantly possible to bring up the relevant page on screen.

“The digitised version of the dictionary has been received with great enthusiasm both here and overseas.”

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