90TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE SINHALESE DICTIONARY
by
Hemantha Situge
Former Hon. Treasurer of the
Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka
and G. Buddhika N. de Zoysa
Assistant Registrar, Land
Registry, Colombo 07.
90th
Anniversary of the Sinhalese Dictionary falls on the 21st March this
year. A dictionary for a span of nine decades is indeed a landmark in Sinhalese
literature. The 90th Anniversary commemoration of the Sinhala
Dictionary would be held today at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Auditorium
with Hon. President Maithreepala Sirisena and Hon. Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremasinghe gracing this momentous occasions. This article endeavours to
examine these nine decades in retrospect.
It was the Ceylon
Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS, CB) in Colombo who mooted the idea of
a scientific Dictionary of the Sinhalese Language and it was through this
society that plan was launched which was eventually to be realized.
The initial impetus
came from Dr. Reinhold Rost (1822-1896) a native of Eisenberg from Central
Germany who was bestowed a doctoral degree for a thesis based on the Sinhalese
language which was awarded by the University of Jena, who was later appointed
as the Head Librarian of the India Office Library in 1869. Rost was known an
acclaimed profound authority as Edward Mueller his “Simplified Grammar of the
Pali Language” in 1884 and R. C. Childers, his “Dictionary of Pali Language”
were dedicated to him.
Rost wrote to another
Pali Scholar Sir John F. Dickson then the President of the RAS, CB laying
emphasis on the need of a “Sinhalese Dictionary on Scientific lines”. The
society at the general meeting held on 4th October 1888 set up a
committee comprising of Waskaduwe Subuthi Thero, Mudliyar B. Gunasekera, W. P.
Ranasinha and R. S. Copleston Bishop of Colombo, an author of a work on
Buddhism. Though few texts were indexed a specimen vocabulary were compiled but
the time was not ripe to reach fruition for such an endeavour.
In 1925 Sir Cecil
Clementi as the President of the RAS, CB revived the original plan. The
valedictory presidential address at the general meeting of the October 1925
categorically indicates that the aims of the dictionary were twofold. Thus : “A
better understanding of the language“ and “building up of a really fine modern
Sinhalese literature”.
Prof. Wilhelm
Geiger’s second visit to Ceylon his arrival was expected by this time. Sir
Cecil though that this would offer a gateway of opportunity through Geiger’s
expertise. Thus : “He hoped that Professor Geiger would not be allowed to go
away without giving the society its views as to the lines upon which the
dictionary could be best prepared”.
Julius de Lanerolle
who was later assigned the task of completing the Dictionary observes its
progress in 1945 Centenary Volume of RAS, CB on the Geiger’s outset dealings.
Thus : “Professor Geiger was eventually consulted. After a careful study of the
Society’s proposals he submitted a Report, dated 3 February 1926, setting forth
in brief outline not only what organization there should be but also what form
the dictionary itself should take. His recommendations were sound and generally
acceptable to all schools of modern scholarship. They were adopted in toto when
the Dictionary came to be finally designed, though they seem to have escaped
the attention of those who were responsible for some specimen entries which
were at one stage submitted to a Committee of European scholars before
editorial treatment was started.”
The then Government
of Ceylon on an invitation extended for Geiger to stay in Ceylon and edit the
Dictionary. Geiger requested time to re-think and wrote from Java on 26th
May 1926 declining the said request. The reply of the Colonial Secretary in
Colombo dated 8th July 1926 sets out the intention of re-approaching
Geiger at a later date. Thus :
“Dear Professor
Geiger,
I have received your
letter of the 26th May in which you say that you have definitely
come to the conclusion that if would not be possible for you to undertake the
Editorship of the proposed Sinhalese Dictionary. The Government has received
this intimation with much regret, though it was not unexpected, and it highly
appreciates your offer of assistance in the future, of which it will not fail
to take advantage should occasion arise”.
The RAS, CB on 26th
March 1926 in accordance with Geiger’s recommendations took steps to set up a
Committee of the Dictionary with H. W. Codrington, W. Geiger, D. B. Jayatileke
and Abraham Mendis Gunasekera as members.
The work took eager
earnestness with the Ceylon Government assuring its solemn support. But the
project invariably suffered considerable delay and difficulties. The 17th
International Congress of Orientalist held in Oxford in 1928 appointed another
advisory panel, a Consultative Committee for the Dictionary. The following year
a preliminary specimen of six pages were prepared and circulated throughout the
world by the Dictionary Office.
Julius de Lanerolle
in his article entitled : “Sinhalese Dictionary and the Ceylon Branch of the
Royal Asiatic Society” in Journal of RAS CB. (NS) Vol I P14 says that totally
ignored Geiger’s recommendations and this specimen was useful in methodical
basis on which to find a scientific dictionary. The Dictionary office of
Colombo was fraught with difficulties as there was no co-operation in between
the English members of the 1928 consultative committee, the rival ‘London
Committee’.
The official report
of 1931 has expressed ray of optimism on the progress of the Dictionary. It is
said that a more authentic account could be found in a letter written by Prof
Gunapala P. Malalasekera (1899-1973) Pali Scholar to Geiger on 11th
February 1931. Malalasekera asserted on the problems lay before them. He
indicated that although Sir D. B. Jayatileke’s “Wide knowledge of Sinhalese” was
acknowledged by all but his arduous political duties were a harbinger and also
of his meager knowledge on Pali and Sanskrit philology. Though Mudliyar W. F.
Gunawardana was known as an authority on Sinhalese grammar as a philologist he
was known to be obsessed with unfounded theories of the Dravidian origins of the
Sinhalese. Therefore his etymology was considered unduly biased. Though
Mudliyar Abraham Mendis Gunasekera was considered as the most skilled
lexicographer at the time was at his ripe of age his sudden death on 10th
February 1931 brought a setback to this project.
G. P. Malalasekera
observes the unsatisfactory state of affairs that prevailed Thus :
“The work was done
largely by monks and school teachers in various parts of the Island who had no
idea whatsoever of lexicography. The result is a very large collection of words
true enough, but of title use for lexicographical purposes. It seems to me that
all the words will have to be referred to their context again by someone
competent, but even that will not be easy as in a good many cases the
manuscripts which were indexed are not in the possession of the Dictionary
Committee, nor have they got copies. There is nobody in the Dictionary who
knows any French or German and the whole mass of philological literature
available is to them, therefore, a closed book.”
The state of affairs of
the Dictionary was indeed in a sad plight thus because of the complications
that arose from the expert opinions in deferent places.
There were clear
difference in opinion of British Indologists who got involved in criticizing
the specimen entries without any constructive criticism to improve same; the
others who wished to expand the project oriented towards the etymology of the
other modern Indo Aryan languages.
Sir Baron Jayatileke
took the initiative to clear up this situation by extending the invitation to
Wilhelm Geiger to take over the editorial work to formulate and launch further
plans to continue further compilation of the Sinhalese Dictionary. Hence D. B.
Jayatileke’s functions remained primarily as the figure head.
On 18th
December 1931 Magdalene and Wilhelm Geiger arrived Colombo for their final
visit to Ceylon. Geiger in his memoirs “Aus Meinem Leben” Vol 2 pp 145-6
provides that Baron Jayatileke did not hesitate to confess the personal and
administrative problems that beset him in progressing the Dictionary then he
could workout a better plan accordingly. Geiger had two colleagues working
closely for him. The first was Julius de Lanerolle where Sir Baron he himself
had a high opinion for his ability and perseverance. The other was M. D.
Ratnasuriya. Thus Prof. Geiger in his memoir observes the difficulties that he
encountered : “When one considers that there was no lack of intrigue against
Jayatilaka, against the entire idea of the Dictionary, and probably against me
personally, and that there were not altogether unfounded complaints as to the
squandering of financial resources, one can realize that our editorial life was
not exactly a bed of roses. Add to all this the fatigue of daily office-work.
We would leave for the Office at about 9.00 a.m. and work really hard, without
a break, until 1.00 p.m. Then we would return to the hotel for lunch, and go
back to work at 3.00 p.m., when we put in another hour or two, often literally
in the sweat of our brows. In a tropical climate, at the age of seventy-five,
such intensive work comes as a real strain.”
The official report
of the RAS, CB Council Meeting minutes for RAS dated 14th May 1932
observes a similar position :
“Dr. and Mrs. Geiger
worked continuously at the Dictionary from the time they arrived in Ceylon
until they left.”
Geiger assiduously worked
together with his wife Magdalene, sorted out 600,000 entry slips systematically
arranged in filing cabinets with a fervent intention once the fresh entries
emerged to revise them.
Geiger’s meticulous
painstaking work paved the way for the future methodical work on Dictionary.
The first fascicle of
the ‘Dictionary of the Sinhalese Language emerged in 1935 and according to the
title page states that was “compiled under the direction of Wilhelm Geiger” by
four scholars : Sir D. B. Jayatileka as the Hon. Editor in Chief, the late Vasala
Mudliyar A. M. Gunasekera, Vasala Mudliyar W. F. Gunawardhane who opted to
resign in 1932 and Julius de Lanerolle’.
It was de Lanerolle
who shouldered the burden to toil and moil of the editorial work in Colombo.
The first fascicle of the Dictionary contains a detailed introduction on
“Sinhalese Language and Literature”. Geiger has sent same to Sir D. B.
Jayatileke on 1st December 1931 and both were signatories of same.
Geiger advocated that
Helmer Smith (1882-1956) to be his successor. Geiger also wished de Lanerolle
to have further study at Neubiberg which was realized only in 1936.
Helmer Smith’s name
appeared with Geiger on the title-page in fascicle (part 2) 1936 of the
Sinhalese Dictionary.
The Dictionary
achieved great esteem throughout the scientific world by March 1935, with over
1,100 subscribers enlisted which ran into 22 parts by 1991 covering all vowels.
In 1992 it was possible to complete the Sinhala-Sinhala etymological Dictionary
in 26 volumes and 46 parts. Thereafter 6 revised volumes emerged. In 1941 the
responsibility for the Dictionary from the RAS CB, passed to the University of
Ceylon in 1942 and now it was re-transferred in 1972 to the Ministry of
Cultural Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. A Dictionary
Office was setup by this Ministry who is mindful of the countries heritage.
It was in this spirit
that the RAS, CB sphere headed and embarked upon a task to start Sinhalese
Dictionary where the University of Ceylon and Ministry of Cultural Affairs has
continued it for posterity as a national heritage. No doubt the Sinhala
Dictionary has continued to maintain high standards of scholarship as the only
such organization in South-East Asia.
Abraham Mendis Gunasekara
Wasala Mudali
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