Dutch man to write Javanese dictionary

JAKARTA (JP): A Dutch linguist and computer expert, who loves karawitan -- or Javanese orchestras, is planning to write a complete contemporary Javanese dictionary which is planned to be published on CD-ROM.

Robeth Albada's plan has received full support from the East Java provincial government, which promised full cooperation yesterday.

Albada, 56, told East Java's vice governor Soeprapto in Surabaya that he had conducted studies on various Javanese dialects in different parts of the island.

He will continue his research in Yogyakarta, the main Javanese cultural center, until mid-July, Antara reported.

Albada, who speaks both fluent Indonesian and Javanese, said the only Javanese dictionary in the Netherlands is one written in 1938. "It is very incomplete and outdated," he said.

He said he fell in love with Javanese culture when he watched a gamelan show in Lembang, West Java, in 1954.

Since then, he has been studying Javanese culture and language and has a gamelan set at home.

His latest project is being funded by Commissie voor Lexicografiche Lectuur Voorzieningen, a Dutch lexographical institute.

Soeprapto has invited Albada to an international congress on the Javanese language from Oct. 21 to 26 in Malang, East Java, which is expected to bring together experts from 10 countries. (pan)