Page:English and Cantonese dictionary (IA en00glishcantonesechalrich).pdf/11

careful study of phonetics being essential, both to the correct and fluent acquirement of any spoken foreign language, and to the checking and setting right of the mal-pronunciations of one’s own mother tongue. To all teachers, but especially to such as are engaged in imparting a knowledge of English to foreigners, an intelligent grounding in phonetics seems an absolute sine qua non. The study of this subject is still in its infancy; but, at least one dictionary, based on phonetic principles, is already in existence.

I have tried to re-model the entire book on Bellow’s and Beljames’ admirable French and English Dictionary; and accordingly, have placed exemplifying sentences after most vocables. Not only have many hundreds of such amplifying and illustrative phrases been packed into the book, but many extra words, previously omitted, have been inserted, each in its due alphabetic place. Botanical expressions embodied in earlier editions, at the suggestion, I am told, of Mr. Charles Ford, I.S.O., the Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, C.M.G., and the late. Dr. Faber, have been retained, and their number extended. Practically the whole of the newly incorporated matter is from my own manuscript Word and Phrase Books, slowly and gradually brought together during an unintermitted and ardent acquaintance with Cantonese covering close upon twenty-three years; which matter has been gleaned, sifted, and garnered from all imaginable sources—books classic and vulgar; dictionaries and vocabularies; magazines and pamphlets; the ephemeralities of daily newspapers, and the many-sided actualities of kaleidroscopic street-life.