Malay–English dictionaries
A brief note by L.C. Biggs (L.C.B.) arguing for the production of a new Malay-English dictionary, published in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 2 (1878), pp. 238–239.
Summary
Biggs observes that the best available Malay-English dictionary, Marsden’s work, is already more than two-thirds of a century old, and that subsequent vocabularies have been scanty and largely neglect the Arabic script in which educated Malays read their own language (p. 238). He notes that demand for Favre’s Malay-French Dictionary in the Straits Settlements has exhausted available copies, and that the work is no longer in type (p. 238).
Biggs urges that the Government and learned societies should undertake the production of a Malay-English dictionary worthy to rank with Favre’s work and the Malay-Dutch dictionaries of Von Dewall, Pijnappel, and Klinkert. He mentions that Favre has granted permission for an English translation, but that even a modest edition of 500 copies would cost over £1,000—too great a risk for any individual—and that Favre’s work, while excellent, contains mistakes and deficiencies, particularly in botanical information (p. 239).