Sasak dictionary published

Sasak dictionary published

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Sri Widodo, the rector of the University of Mataram, launched on Thursday a Sasak-Indonesian- English dictionary compiled by an Australian writer.

Nell F. Staff was assisted by five local co-authors -- Aida Muspiah, Baiq Rabiah Arkania, I. Gede Martha, Maryadi Faisal and Lalu Munahar -- in preparing the dictionary. It is published by the Mataram University Press.

Sasak is a language spoken on Lombok Island, the largest island in the province. Antara reported yesterday that the publisher printed 1,000 copies for the first edition. The purchase price is Rp 30,000 (US$12) per dictionary.

Staff said she was motivated to undertake the project by her interest in languages, particularly tribal languages.

Sasak Association Secretary L. Wacana said the new dictionary contained numerous mistakes because it was prepared without consultation with local Sasak language "experts".

"Almost every page contains mistakes that may have been caused by misinformation," he said. (rms)