The compilation of a Chinese-Lahu dictionary officially began in Kunming on April 14, according to a report on the
Institute of Ethnic Literature site (编篡工作在昆明启动). Some 100 Lahu scholars met to discuss the reference book, scheduled for publication in 2015, that will comprise over two million words of text.
The Lāhù (拉祜族) are one of the 56 peoples recognized by the PRC. In China they number 475,000 and are concentrated within the Lancang River Basin in Yunnan Province around Pu’er and Lincang, but some 160,000 also inhabit Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos. Experts believe the Lahu’s origins lie in the ancient nomadic Qiang people (羌人) of Gansu and Qinghai.
The China Ethnic Dictionary Project (中国少数民族大辞典) aims to compile 16 dictionaries. According to the report re-published by the Institute of Ethnic Literature, three have been completed (Bai, Hani and Naxi) and another two—for the Dai and Wa languages—will soon be.
Just how the dictionary will be formatted was not mentioned. However, the recently launched Miao-Han Dictionary (苗汉辞典) may well serve as a model. It featured:
- Pronunciation using international phonetic alphabet (IPA)
- Bilingual text
- Sample sentences
Visit here for links to several Lahu films.
Bruce Humes 