‘Gandhi’s Dictionary’ to enter AI age with 2,200 new words

Ahmedabad: The Sarth Gujarati Jodni Kosh, the Gujarati dictionary created by Mahatma Gandhi's prompt to build a standardized lexicon, will update its entries to speak more fluently with Gen AI. The dictionary will welcome a range of zeitgeist-defining words, including ‘algorithm', ‘internet', ‘surfing', and ‘upload'.In fact, the majority of the 2,200 words that have been chosen by experts for inclusion in the updated version of the dictionary are related to technology. The dictionary's first edition was published in 1929. The current update is seen as a step with the times, as the last major update was in 2017 — 50 years after the fifth edition was published in 1967.The authorities of Gujarat Vidyapith have recently appealed to the speakers of the Gujarati language to send in words which are not in the dictionary. The entries and their meanings are to be emailed; the deadline is March 31.Dhwanil Parekh, a professor of Gujarati at Gujarat Vidyapith, said that the recent work on the dictionary was initiated a year ago, with the revival of the kosh karyalaya on the vidyapith premises, by vice-chancellor Dr Harshad Patel.Prof Parekh is the convener of the initiative and Dr Arvind Bhandari, a linguist and lexicographer, is the chief editor. The review committee for the project consists of 10 members. "So far, we have identified about 2,200 new entries. We, however, want citizens to be part of the initiative and thus have invited all to submit words," Parekh said.The professor added, "Such participation has been documented for the celebrated Bhagwat Gomandal Kosh, a Gujarati encyclopaedia. All submissions will be reviewed and put in perspective for posterity." Parekh said that the inclusion of new words is a sign of a living and thriving language. The editors said that infrequently used and archaic words will be reviewed from past editions, and certain definitions will be expanded and updated. As examples, the editors cited the now less-common games such as ‘Ambli-Pipli' and ‘Adukiyo-Dadukiyo'. While the past editions had only ‘a game' as the definition, the new edition is expected to explain the terms.Dr Bhandari said that lexicographers do not want to give convoluted or forced Gujarati terms for English words which are commonly used. "We expect good participation that may reflect the diversity of the language and its usage — from fields ranging from commerce to information technology," he said.