Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed has today launched the first Dictionary of the Dhivehi language entitled “Dhivehi Bas Foiy”, published by the Maldives National University, at a ceremony held this evening.
At the ceremony, the Vice President noted that the comprehensive collection of all the words in a language compiled into a single book, marked a momentous occasion for celebration. He expressed his sincere gratitude for the painstaking work of “Bas Committee” (linguistic association) in the compilation of the book, noting that they had done a remarkable service to the whole nation.
In his speech, the Vice President said that a language is an integral part of a nation’s identity and broadly reflects the culture, societal norms and traditions peculiar to that nation. He also stressed on the importance of including archaic lexicon in the newly published dictionary, in view of the constantly changing ways of using language in our daily lives.
The Vice President also mentioned the likelihood of the entry of newer words and expressions to our local dictionary, as more in-depth researches are made into the world of language use, and more changes to our lifestyle continue to take place.
