This is the most comprehensive Arabic dictionary ever produced. Dr. Hsu Cheng-Hsiang (a Taiwanese scholar) has compiled the dictionary in a new and revolutionary way, editing it with clarity and simplicity. He has divided the dictionary into eight parts, as follows:
1. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Root Words) «R»
2. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Non-Root Words) «W»
3. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Phrases and Sentences) «S»
4. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (People Names) «N»
5. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Place Names) «P»
6. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Usages) «U»
7. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Grammatical Terms) «G»
8. The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Index) «I»
In the root words section, examples, remarks, and cross-references are given for words to illustrate their usage and formation. Every verb is assigned an Arabic verb pattern code (AVPC), which refers to its corresponding conjugation table given in the work entitled «A Complete Handbook of Arabic Verb Conjugation».
The index section is designed to enable everyone to use the dictionary easily. Even a young child will be able to use it, provided that he knows the Arabic and English alphabets. The following example index demonstrates this ease; difficulty in finding a word will be a thing of the past. For instance, under the Arabic orthography “اب”, the following information is given.
اب
أَب /ˀab/1 (v.n. of أَبِيَ /ˀabiya/ [ء ب و] «T1-102D») «R»
أَب /ˀab/2 [ء ب و] «R»
آب /ˀăb/1 «W»
آَبُ /ăb2/2 «W»
آب /ˀăba/1 ([ء و ب] «T1-120C) «R»
آب /ˀăba/2 ([ء ي ب] «T1-130B») «R»
آَبّ /ˀabb/1 (v.n. of أَبَّ /ˀabba/ [ء ب ب] «T1-10B/C») «R»
أَبّ /ˀabb/2 [ء ب ب] «R»
أَبّ /ˀabb/3 [ء ب ب] (dialect variant of أَب /ˀab/2 [ء ب و]) «R»
آَبَّ /ˀabba/ ([ء ب ب] «T1-10B/C») «R»
أَبٍ /ˀab/ḭ̑ [ء ب ي] «R»
إِبّ /ỉbb/ «W»
آَبّ /ˀubb/ [ء ب ب] «R»
«The Reference Dictionary of the Arabic Language (Root Words)»
This dictionary of root words has been divided into seventeen parts and will be published fascicule by fascicule in due course, as follows:
(1) Fascicule 1 (Letter ảlif [ا])
(2) Fascicule 2 (Letters bāʾ–ṯāʾ [ث - ب])
(3) Fascicule 3 (Letter jīm [ج])
(4) Fascicule 4 (Letter ḥāʾ [ح])
(5) Fascicule 5 (Letter ḫāʾ [خ])
(6) Fascicule 6 (Letters dāl–ḏāl [ذ - د])
(7) Fascicule 7 (Letters rāʾ–zāy [ز - ر])
(8) Fascicule 8 (Letter sīn [س])
(9) Fascicule 9 (Letter šīn [ش])
(10) Fascicule 10 (Letters ṣāḍ–ṭāʾ [ط - ص])
(11) Fascicule 11 (Letters ẓāʾ–ˁayn [ع - ظ])
(12) Fascicule 12 (Letters ġayn–fāʾ [ف - غ])
(13) Fascicule 13 (Letter qāf [ق])
(14) Fascicule 14 (Letters kāf–lām [ل - ك])
(15) Fascicule 15 (Letter mīm [م])
(16) Fascicule 16 (Letter nūn [ن])
(17) Fascicule 17 (Letters hāʾ–yāʾ [ي - ه])
In compiling this dictionary, the primary goal has been to give the user a more comprehensive work – one that will overcome many of the shortcomings found in the lexicographical works available today. To that end, not only is a great deal of information and material included, but it is also arranged in a simply yet distinct way that makes this dictionary easy to use. Most importantly, the index part of the RDAL will eradicate the difficulty of using an Arabic dictionary to find the exact word for which one searches. Indeed, the index will enable everyone, even young children, to use this dictionary, provided the Arabic and English alphabets are known.
The completion of this dictionary, and of the other parts of the RDAL, will take time. It is hoped that when at some stage, an online edition will be issued to make the use of Arabic dictionaries more flexible and productive. To facilitate the entire compilation process, this dictionary will be issued first as a fundraising-edition to meet the financial needs associated with the compilation of the RDAL and the creation of an RDAL website. This means that this dictionary will be available from the publisher solely online. Please order this dictionary at http://www.hsubooks.com.tw.
A permanent organization (such as a foundation) must be established for the long-term execution of the RDAL project. Hsubooks sincerely appeals to those who are interested in participating in either joining the editing team or funding. The scheme of editorship or funding will be sent to those who express interest. The funding sponsors will be acknowledged in the RDAL publications
for their contribution. Please do contact us to express your interest at:
Hsubooks.editor@mail.com.
«A Complete Handbook of Arabic Verb Conjugation»
This work will be published in two volumes of over 2,500 pages. The first volume contains some 1,000+ conjugation tables and an index of all the verbs registered in the RDAL. The second volume is a study of Arabic verbs. The handbook is scheduled to be published before the end of 2021. An online version (including all conjugation tables) will be launched in the end.