马礼逊的《广东省土话字汇》:第一部粤方言字典

Robert Morrison’s Vocabulary of the Canton Dialect-the Earliest Cantonese Dictionary

马礼逊是早期进行粤方言研究的西方学者,《广东省土话字汇》是其代表性研究成果。《广东省土话字汇》主要有三方面的成就:其一,它是第一部根据意义分类的粤方言字典,具有开创性;其二,它较全面地对粤语词汇乃至熟语进行搜集和整理,编排分为24大类别,一定程度上构成粤方言书面语的系统性词汇,方便人们学习、使用和掌握;其三,它较好地将英、粤两语进行对照,在注音和词类条目等方面形成了自己的特点,给后来者提供了有价值的借鉴。在粤方言研究的历史进程中它具有开拓的意义。

Robert Morrison was a western scholar who studied Cantonese in the early years. Vocabulary of the Canton Dialect is his representative work in the field of the study of Cantonese. The dictionary’s achievements can be represented in three aspects. Firstly,it was a groundbreaking achievement i the study of Cantonese,since it was the first Cantonese dictionary to classify words and phrases according to meaning. Secondly,it gathered Cantonese words and even idioms thoroughly,and classified them into 24 categories,which constituted a system of vocabulary of written Cantonese and facilitated learning,use and mastery of the dialect. Thirdly,it contrasted English with Cantonese in a better way,developed its own features in phonetic notation and marking of parts of speech,and provided reference for successors. Its achievements are of pioneering significance in the historical process of the study of Cantonese.