Some Issues in Compiling the Comprehensive Dictionary of Naxi Dongba Pictographs
This article by Yu Suisheng addresses key issues in compiling a comprehensive Naxi Dongba pictograph dictionary. Despite over a century of Dongba script research and three landmark dictionaries (Li Lincan 1944, Rock 1963/1972, Fang Guoyu 1981), no large-scale, systematic dictionary yet exists, though conditions—more published materials, deeper research, and improved technology—now make one feasible. The author argues that, given current scholarly needs and reader convenience, priority should go to a character dictionary (zidian) rather than a word dictionary (cidian), since Dongba characters have extensive heteronymy (variant readings) and multiple borrowed/extended meanings that make phonetic or semantic-category ordering impractical, causing repetition and fragmented usage. Instead, entries should be organized by character headwords, each appearing once, with meanings (original, extended, borrowed, alternate readings) explained comprehensively, and compound words/word groups sharing a core character attached beneath the headword—following models like Mu Chen's (2003) character table—to combine dictionary and lexicon functions effectively.
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