While browsing SIL’s Central Sinama-English Dictionary you may have looked for a word but not been able to find it.
There are several reasons this might have happened.
- It is possible that you are looking in the wrong place. This dictionary is a stem-based dictionary. It breaks down words to simpler forms i.e. for the word kap’ddi’an look for the word p’ddi’. For the word alingkat look for lingkat.
- It is possible that you have made a spelling mistake. There is a consistent system for spelling Sinama. Browsing the dictionary will help you understand this method. You can also find more information in our post category: Sinama Orthography
- Be careful with the letters r and d. Ma reyom, ma riyata’, ma reyoꞌ can be found listed under: deyom, diyata’ and deyo’.
- You might be searching for a word that is not used in Central Sinama. (example: You will not find the word siraka in the Central Sinama dictionary. It is a Southern Sinama word. You can find ngga’i, duma’in, and mbal. They are the Central Sinama equivalents. Also you will not find the words lawa or tu’u. Though for some Central Sinama speakers these are the only words they know for left and right, the words are actually Tausug.)
- It is possible that you have found a word that is missing from SIL’s dictionary. A 10,000 word dictionary is one of the larger minority language dictionaries in existence, but we can expect there to be at least 17,000 words in the Central Sinama language.
If you have found a word that you believe should be included in the dictionary please follow these steps:
- Verify that the reason you were unable to find the word was not due to looking in the wrong place, wrong spelling, or searching for a word from a different Sinama language or regional language.
- Leave a comment at the bottom of this post.
The comment should include the following information:
- Which dialect of Central Sinama you speak (Sama Dilaut, Laminusa, Sibaud, Manubal, Musu’, Sama Silumpak, Sama Tabawan, Sama Bintaulan)
- Where you currently live
- The word that is missing from the dictionary
- A definition of the word in English, Tagalog, or Melayu
- 1 or 2 example sentences in Sinama that use the missing word.
You can expect an initial response to your comment within a week.
Words that are candidates for inclusion in the Central Sinama dictionary will be posted to our Word Verification page.
We will check these words with other Sama online using the Word Verification page, as well as community checks, and/or checking with partners of Sinama.org.
Once a word is well established as a Central Sinama word and we can create a clear English definition or gloss for the word, we will pass it on to the linguists behind SIL Philippines Central Sinama Dictionary for inclusion into the dictionary.