Concise Amharic Dictionary

by Wolf Leslau

Book Overview

A language learning book that has taught and will continue to teach generations of Peace Corps volunteers, and other English-speaking students, workers, and visitors to Ethiopia.--Harold G. Marcus, author of A History of Ethiopia

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520205014
• ISBN13: 9780520205017
• Release Date: February 1996
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 538 Pages
• Weight: 1.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

an Amharic learner's best friend

This is an indispensible resource for Amharic learners at all levels. Wolf Leslau was a pioneer in Ethiopic studies and this dictionary is one of the most enduring monuments to his amazing lifetime of work. Pluses include a very reliable system of phonetic transcription to complement (rather than replace) the Amharic writing system, a very nice and readable Amharic typeface, and portability with this paperback edition. Students coming to Amharic from other Semitic languages, beware of one thing: the 'q' used in the system of transcription is not the Arabic 'qaf' (although Amharic loanwards from Arabic with 'q' morph into the Amharic 'q', which is an ejective consonant, of which in Amharic there are several. Ejectives are not uncommon in African languages, but will be very exotic to students coming to Amharic from an Arabic or Hebrew background.

Best Dictionary Out There

I learned some Amharic from Ethiopian friends at high school and college. I was rather fascinated by the deep rich culture. This dictionary is just plain amazing. It includes both English-Amharic and Amharic-English sections, and utilizes the actual Ethiopian alphabet and phonetic guide. For an English speaker, I would recommend getting copy of the alphabet displayed in grid format, and run though memorization of the alphabet with an indigenous speaker. This way, you'll be able to utilize the dictionary to the fullest potential.

Finally able to communicate!

We got a maid from Ethiopia to help with our baby girl. The agency said that her English is fair, which meant it wasn't fluent but we could communicate.However when she arrived we found that she only knows 5 or 10 English words. We both work and it was a big problem and risk to leave her with our 18 month old.We ordered this dictionary to be able to communicate with her.Perfect choice!

Best widely available Amharic - English - Amharic dictionary

Leslau's dictionary has been the standard for years, and deservedly so. He not only has thousands of entries in each half of the dictionary (English-Amharic, Amharic-English), he also gives extensive notes on grammatical usage, such as whether an Amharic verb takes a direct object suffix, or an indirect object suffix. The entries cover a wide variety of topics: tools, holidays, body parts, etc. There are other dictionaries available, but they are very difficult to find in most countries: Dr. Amsalu Aklilu's excellent work published in Ethiopia and Ahmed Zekaria's published in India. Kane's 2 vol. Amharic- English dictionary is too expensive for most people, and has no English-Amharic section. If you need an Amharic-English-Amharic dictionary, this is a fine book. The University of California paperback edition is much, much cheaper than the hardback Harrassowitz edition from Germany, no difference in contents.