The Oxford University Press (OUP) announced the launch of a trilingual Sanskrit-Hindi-English dictionary on Friday, aimed at making the ancient Sanskrit language more accessible to learners worldwide. This initiative aligns with OUP's vision to enhance knowledge and learning in collaboration with the Ministry of Education while expanding its bilingual dictionaries portfolio in India to cover 13 languages, including nine classical languages.
With this launch, Oxford dictionaries are now available in Sanskrit, Bengali, Assamese, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi. “Oxford University Press is committed to preserving and enriching languages, promoting linguistic diversity, and disseminating knowledge”, stated Sumanta Datta, Managing Director of OUP India. He emphasized that the trilingual dictionary marks a significant milestone in advancing language learning and cultural heritage.
The new dictionary, published in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthanam (UPSS), includes over 25,000 carefully selected words designed to cater to Sanskrit learners. OUP envisions that every student of Sanskrit will be conversant and fluent in simple standard Sanskrit within the next decade, aligning with the guidelines set out in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023.
In addition to the trilingual dictionary, OUP also announced the release of three other dictionaries: the Compact English-English-Urdu Dictionary, the Mini Hindi-English Dictionary, and the English-Hindi Dictionary. Earlier this year, OUP launched the English-English-Assamese Dictionary and the Mini English-Bengali Dictionary, showcasing its commitment to expanding linguistic resources in India.
Sanskrit gained 'Classical' status in 2005, and linguists have suggested that Sanskrit and many European languages trace their roots to a common ancestor known as Proto-Indo-European. This ancient language is believed to have served as a linguistic blueprint for various language families across continents, shedding light on migration patterns and cultural exchanges throughout history.
