Leo James English
Encyclopedia
Father Leo James English, C.Ss.R.
(August 1907 – 1997) was the Australian compiler and editor of two of among the first most widely used bilingual dictionaries in the Philippines
. He was the author of the two companion dictionaries namely, the English–Tagalog Dictionary (1965) and the Tagalog–English Dictionary (1986). English saw the successful completion of his dictionaries that were carried out in the course of his 51 years of religious service in the Philippines. He was a member of the Redemptorists or the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
, a religious order that has been engaged in preaching missions using the vernacular language in the Philippines
for more than seventy years.
The dual dictionaries of English pioneered the launching of many bilingual dictionaries and thesauruses in the Philippines including those authored by the Filipino compiler, Vito C. Santos, namely the Vicassan's Pilipino–English Dictionary and the New Vicassan's English–Pilipino Dictionary (1995). Fr. James English acknowledged consulting Vito Santos’s Pilipino–English Dictionary for reference while completing his Tagalog–English Dictionary. Vito C. Santos once worked with Father English.
English's dictionaries had been influential in the development and propagation of the Filipino language
in the Philippines and abroad.
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
(August 1907 – 1997) was the Australian compiler and editor of two of among the first most widely used bilingual dictionaries in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. He was the author of the two companion dictionaries namely, the English–Tagalog Dictionary (1965) and the Tagalog–English Dictionary (1986). English saw the successful completion of his dictionaries that were carried out in the course of his 51 years of religious service in the Philippines. He was a member of the Redemptorists or the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
, a religious order that has been engaged in preaching missions using the vernacular language in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
for more than seventy years.
His dictionaries
The Tagalog–English dictionary contains about 16,000 Tagalog main words, 21,000 derivatives and 30,000 translated sentences that illustrate the use of the words. For some entries, synonyms and explanatory notes are added. The English–Tagalog dictionary contains more than 14,000 main English entries and an addition of 40,000 nuances, each both defined in English and translated into Tagalog, as well as 30,000 exemplifying sentences. Together, they are one of the most exhaustive published collections of the Tagalog language.The dual dictionaries of English pioneered the launching of many bilingual dictionaries and thesauruses in the Philippines including those authored by the Filipino compiler, Vito C. Santos, namely the Vicassan's Pilipino–English Dictionary and the New Vicassan's English–Pilipino Dictionary (1995). Fr. James English acknowledged consulting Vito Santos’s Pilipino–English Dictionary for reference while completing his Tagalog–English Dictionary. Vito C. Santos once worked with Father English.
English's dictionaries had been influential in the development and propagation of the Filipino language
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
in the Philippines and abroad.
External links
- Leo James English’s Bilingual Dictionaries
- Resources about the Philippines
- Tips on Learning Tagalog
- Online radio in Tagalog
- 89th birthday
- Leo James English's obituary in the Philippine Journal of Linguistics
Other Philippine dictionaries
- An English–Cebuano–Visayan Dictionary by Rodolfo Cabonce, Metro Manila, Philippines: National Book Store, 1983
- Ilokano Dictionary by Ernesto Constantino, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1971
- Diksyunaryong Filipino–English by Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, Pasig, Metro Manila, 1993
- JVP English–Filipino Thesaurus-Dictionary, Metro Manila, Mhelle L. Publications, 1988
- Vicassan's Pilipino–English Dictionary by Vito C. Santos, Metro Manila, National Book Store, 1988
- Tagalog Slang Dictionary by R. David Paul Zorc, Manila, De la Salle University Press, 1993
- Lim English–Filipino Filipino–English Dictionary, by Ed Lim, Lulu.com, 2008 ISBN 9780557038008