A Tibetan-English Dictionary (Paperback)

by H. A. Jaschke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Assembled by a missionary in Tibet during the mid-nineteenth century, this dictionary has an outstanding reputation and remains an important resource for students of the language and a convenient reference for travellers. Practical and nontechnical, it offers a full sense of the exact range of Tibetan words in their common usage. Since the missionaries were attempting to convey the foreign concepts of Christianity, they kept their language as plain and direct as possible. This volume reflects that clarity, deriving its matter and principles equally from Tibetan literature and speech. Each word is defined in terms of both its written and conversational usage, with accurate and plentiful examples. An English-Tibetan vocabulary offers phonetic pronunciations for hundreds of useful words.

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Bilingual edition (June 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486426971
• ISBN-13: 978-0486426976
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #599,366 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good solid basic dictionary, August 3, 2000

By	M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Tibetan-English Dictionary (Paperback)

Although I understand the technical reasons for not doing so, I wish that the examples and compounds were in the Tibetan script as the base entries are. I appreciate, however, the citations being full phrases so that the dictionary helps one learn written Tibetan. I especially appreciate the providing of the Sanskrit in devanagri where a Tibetan term is used technically as a translation of a Buddhist Sanskrit term. This is especially important for those whose primary language is Sanskrit but must learn Tibetan because so many Sanskrit Buddhist texts were lost.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars older English worldview still valuable for modern translator, November 6, 2000

By	Barbara A. Pijan (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Tibetan-English Dictionary (Paperback)

Outdated (sometimes truly quaint) culturally, and definitely influenced by Jaschke's christian missionary orientation. Neverthless a classic that deserves a place on every Tibetan-English translator's bookshelf. I often consult it as a third-or-fourth opinion (after Rangjung Yeshe and Das) when I am searching for a good English match to the Tibetan. Was a pioneering work in its time, deserves continuing use within limits of its view.