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Western missionaries contributed largely to Chinese lexicography.
Their involvement was basically a practical rather than a
theoretical one. In order to preach and convert, it was necessary
to speak Chinese. A missionary on post needed to learn at least two
languages, the national Guanhua, the "language of the officials" or
"Mandarin," and the local vernacular. The first lexicographical
work by missionaries was a Portuguese-Chinese dictionary compiled
in the late 1500s by Francisco Varo (1627-1687), a Spanish
Dominican based in the province of Fujian, was legendary for his
superb mastery in Mandarin. His Vocabulario de la Lengua Mandarina,
a Spanish-Chinese dictionary, is made available to modern readers
in the present study, which is based on two manuscripts held in
Berlin and London. Volume 1 contains the text of Varo's glossary,
with English translations offered for all Spanish glosses and
Chinese characters added for all Chinese forms. Volume 2 includes a
pinyin index to all Chinese forms in the text and a selective index
to the English translations of the Chinese glosses. The Vocabulario
is mainly devoted to the spoken language, but includes literary
forms as well. Varo was also sensitive to other matters of usage,
e.g., questions of style, new expressions coined by the
missionaries, specific expressions in Chinese and in European
culture, Chinese customs and beliefs, and aspects of grammar. The
Vocabulario is recommended for readers interested in Chinese
linguistics, lexicography, Sino-Western cultural relations and the
history of Christianity in China.
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