The South Sumatra Language Agency on Wednesday launched a digital or online version of the Palembang-Indonesian dictionary to provide information to and assist people who want to build their Palembang language vocabulary.

“This Palembang-Indonesian dictionary is to make it easier for people who want to understand Palembang vocabulary,” head of the South Sumatra Language Agency, Umar Solikhan, said here on Wednesday.

The dictionary has as many as 8,793 lemmas and sub-lemmas.

The launch of the dictionary is an effort to protect and preserve the original language of Palembang city and prevent its extinction, according to Solikhan.

The creation of the digital Palembang-Indonesian dictionary involved the South Sumatra Language Agency, culturalists, academicians, and Palembang-Malay linguists. The team also conducted several tests before the dictionary’s launch.

Solikhan said that he expects the dictionary to help tourists understand the Palembang language. Further, with the help of the dictionary, the local community, especially the younger generation, can deepen and expand their knowledge of Palembang words.

The digital Palembang-Indonesia dictionary can be accessed via https://kamus-palembang.loko.co.id/. On the website, people can enter the Palembang language words that they want to translate, and their meanings in Indonesian will show up.

The South Sumatra Language Agency will also continue to develop the digital Palembang-Indonesian dictionary by adding more lemmas and sub-lemmas.

Earlier, the agency also launched a printed version of the Komering-Indonesian dictionary, and its digital form will be launched in 2023.

There are six native languages in the province, which are Komering, Kayu Agung, Lematang, Melayu Ogan, and Bahasa Pedamaran.

Currently, there are already three printed dictionaries of South Sumatran native languages—the Palembang, Muara Enim, and Komering dictionaries—while the rest are still in the development stage.

Source: Antara News