A Review of Three Recent Dictionaries of Indigenous Languages Spoken in South America

Abstract

In this review essay, we compare three recent dictionaries of Indigenous languages spoken in South America. The review covers two print dictionaries—one of which is trilingual (Quechua, Spanish and English) and the other the second edition of a bilingual Q’eqchi’-English dictionary—and a bilingual, digital dictionary hosted online (Wichí-Spanish). The structure of this review essay is as follows: first, we offer a brief introduction to each of the languages covered in the dictionaries. Following the introduction, we offer sections in which we compare the orthographic choices made by the compilers, entry design and ordering within the publications. We also address the overarching structure of each dictionary, questions of language production and reception, as well as editorial decisions relating to the incorporation of neologisms. In addition, we include an analysis of the intended audience and accessibility of each dictionary, supplemented by a reflection about ownership and control of language data, community investment and how these resources address dialectal variation within the language, if indeed any exists.