New Lakota Dictionary, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Lakota Language Consortium (Author), Jan F. Ullrich (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0976108291 | ISBN-13: 978-0976108290 | Publication Date: May 1, 2008 | Edition: Mul

The New Lakota Dictionary is the most modern and comprehensive volume of its kind to emerge in the last 75 years and serves as the benchmark for both the Lakota and Dakota languages in the 21st century. The volume is the result of 25-years of linguistic work with over 300 speakers from all the representative speech communities and the incorporation of all available Lakota and Dakota textual resources. The dictionary represents the language with complete historical and contemporary accuracy within the encompassing Northern Plains region including: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

This 23,000-word Second Edition of the NLD provides a reliable, accurate, and user-friendly reference text and serves as a central component of the revitalization movement. It is an indispensable resource for advanced language users as well as beginning students of the language and has many innovative features including:

Over 40,000 example sentences, usage notes, and collocations; A modern layout that makes it easy to find words and their usage; 3,160 more entries than the first edition of the NLD; A standard orthography that adequately marks all meaningful sounds in the language; All verb entries include conjugation paradigms; Special symbols that mark the 3,000 most important words; Descriptions of word-stems and stem nests.

The volume forms the foundation for Lakota and Dakota languages and provides the basis upon which students, teachers, and community members can move forward with confidence in restoring the living language. *** 2009 Bronze Medal Winner - Reference-IPPY ***

Editorial Reviews

Review

The New Lakota Dictionary is a breakthrough in contemporary Native American language studies...revolutionizes what we understand about the historical development of Lakota and Dakota dialects...clarifies many problems found in earlier lexical works...much needed and innovative. --William K. Powers, author of Sacred Language: The Nature of Supernatural Discourse in Lakota

This is the Lakota dictionary linguists and educators have been waiting for...a monumental work...consistent and phonetically accurate spelling system...surpasses any other dictionary in number of English-Lakota entries...by far the best Lakota dictionary available, in terms of ease of use for 21st century learners, as well as in terms of lexicographical coverage and grammatical accuracy. --Willem de Reuse, author of, One Hundred Years of Lakota Linguistics

The addition of the grammar usage section to the dictionary makes this resource even more invaluable. This resources is a must have for linguistics programs, libraries, as well as for larger public libraries and Native American culture museum libraries. Thank you for this resource. --Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY) Judge

The addition of the grammar usage section to the dictionary makes this resource even more invaluable. This resources is a must have for linguistics programs, libraries, as well as for larger public libraries and Native American culture museum libraries. Thank you for this resource. --Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY) Judge

About the Author

Lakota Language Consortium is the leading publisher of Lakota language materials. Jan F. Ullrich is the Linguistic Director of the Lakota language Consortium and has published numerous textbooks and other materials in the language.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1156 pages
• Publisher: Lakota Language Consortium; Mul edition (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976108291
• ISBN-13: 978-0976108290
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Native American
  • #23 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Native American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Lakota Dictionary, October 20, 2008

By 

Ms. Josephine N. Webster (Bristol UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Lakota Dictionary, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Buy, beg, borrow or steal it! If you're serious about studying Lakota, you can't afford to be without the NLD. As a learner, this is the book I've been waiting for. It's the best Lakota/English and English/Lakota dictionary available. Unique to the NLD is the inclusion of the Dakota dialects variants. Far more than just a word-list, the entries are packed with example sentences, paradigms are included in the verbs, there is information on usage and culture, the most frequently used words are marked. The grammar section explains the basics of Lakota grammar simply and clearly and is extremely informative. Because of the economical use of diacritics and the marking of stress in the LLC orthography, it is very easy to pronounce each word correctly. If you read the History of Lakota Lexicography in the introduction to the dictionary, you will understand why this is really the first reliable Lakota dictionary ever. With every entry and example sentence double-checked by native speakers, it is totally trustworthy, reflecting modern usage of the language whilst making one aware of the richness and beauty of the Lakota language.New Lakota Dictionary
There's also an active on-line discussion forum based on and supported by the New Lakota Dictionary. Serious language students at all levels of proficiency are already enjoying their membership and expanding their knowledge.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable!!!!, January 6, 2010

By 

Jessica Nelson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Lakota Dictionary, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would!!

I have been studying the Lakhota language for years, as a child and as an adult. Unfortunately it has been self study, with the help of resources such as the Buechel dictionary. At one time I was very grateful for the Buechel dictionary, and I do not mean to disrespect the value of Buechel's work. However, the New Lakota Dictionary renders all others obsolete!! The orthography allows learners to "read" the correct pronunciation, and it is checked by actual speakers of the language! (You might assume that all dictionaries are, but you would be wrong!) It also includes information on all four Dakota dialects (Yankton-Yanktonai (Western Dakota), and Santee-Sisseton (Eastern Dakota)) by each applicable entry.

The many example sentences, notes on how often words are used and in what way (if they are still common or if they are archaic), and the surprisingly approachable (and long) grammar section make this dictionary an excellent resource for beginners. The Lakota Language Consortium's language forum is another invaluable resource. This forum, and the New Lakota Dictionary, have advanced my rate of learning exponentially (and significantly decreased learning frustration!!) With this dictionary I finally feel I can put sentences together with confidence.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the Lakota Language Consortium is a non-profit organization, so your money actually goes to the revitalization of the Lakhota language.

I have been so positive I feel I should reassure you that I am a real person and am in no way affiliated with the Lakota Language Consortium or the New Lakota Dictionary, other than that I am a big fan. Trust me, for the sake of the language, support this dictionary! You will not regret it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dictionary for active study, December 31, 2009

By 

Connie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New Lakota Dictionary, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

New Lakota Dictionary is the first Lakota/Yankton(ai)/Santee/Sisseton dictionary complying to the modern standards of language acquisition, IMHO. Buechel's dictionary was the most complete, but it generally was lacking important features - consistent spelling, accurate definitions, extensive examples, sufficient grammar stuff.
New Lakota Dictionary has it all in Lakota-English section, and English-Lakota part is not just a word index to L-E part, there you can indeed get the help for which Lakota word to choose. Check the 18 Lakota translations for English "woman" at my "customer images".
And the Grammar section is the best concise and most up-to-date description of Lakhota grammar, with all the essential features of the language described in human language, not academese.
There is an online Lakota Language Forum for this book, frequented by many native and fluent speakers.
I got three copies, two presents for my friends.