Oxford University Press Unveils Landmark Sanskrit-Hindi-English Dictionary
In a move aimed at making Sanskrit more accessible to learners worldwide, Oxford University Press (OUP) announced the launch of a trilingual Sanskrit-Hindi-English dictionary on Friday
New Delhi: In a move aimed at making Sanskrit more accessible to learners worldwide, Oxford University Press (OUP) announced the launch of a trilingual Sanskrit-Hindi-English dictionary on Friday.
This release aligns with OUP’s commitment to advancing education in partnership with the Ministry of Education, while expanding its collection of bilingual dictionaries in India to encompass 13 languages, including nine classical languages.
OUP’s dictionaries now span across languages such as Sanskrit, Bengali, Assamese, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi.
Sumanta Datta, Managing Director of OUP India, emphasized the significance of the initiative, stating, “Oxford University Press is committed to preserving and enriching languages, fostering a global dedication to linguistic diversity, and promoting the dissemination of knowledge.
This trilingual dictionary marks a key milestone in our mission to support language learning and celebrate our cultural heritage.”
Datta added that the dictionary will be an essential resource for students starting their journey in Sanskrit, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023 guidelines.
The dictionary, developed in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthanam (UPSS), features over 25,000 words chosen for their relevance to modern Sanskrit learners, with the long-term goal of ensuring fluency in simple standard Sanskrit within the next decade.
In addition to the trilingual dictionary, OUP also launched three other dictionaries: the Compact English-English-Urdu Dictionary, the Mini Hindi-English Dictionary, and the English-Hindi Dictionary. Earlier this year, OUP introduced the English-English-Assamese Dictionary and the Mini English-Bengali Dictionary.
Sanskrit was granted ‘Classical’ language status in 2005. Linguists suggest that both Sanskrit and many European languages share a common linguistic ancestor, known as Proto-Indo-European, which was likely spoken thousands of years ago.
This connection offers insights into ancient migration patterns, cultural exchanges, and the development of language families across time and continents.
