'Este diccionario es su uso para leer libros' : The 'Vocabolarium Sinense–Hispanicum' at the Biblioteca Universitaria di Genova / Daniele Quaggiotto

Published in Historiographia Linguistica - Volume 51, Issue 1-3, 2024 

Also available through Boston College Libraries

Abstract: 

This article provides some preliminary observations on the Vocabulario de Lengua Mandarina (1702) held at the Biblioteca Universitaria di Genova, which, to my knowledge, has not been studied before. It proposes hypotheses about its arrival in Genova, its likely authorship and examines the prologue, which provides helpful information about the intended use of the dictionary. An analysis of the contents of the Vocabulario yields insights into its romanization, the languages used in its translations, and the words it selects. The article includes a brief comparison with two other dictionaries compiled in the 17th century. Throughout the article, an attempt is made to place the Vocabulario in its historical context — that is, its production in Manila at the beginning of the 18th century — and to consider critically the claim that the Vocabulario’s use was for the reading of books.

Vol. 1. An English and Chinese annotation of the Vocabulario de la Lengua Mandarina -- Vol. 2. Pinyin and English index of the Vocabulario de la Lengua Mandarina.