THE University of Zimbabwe recently launched the first ever Chinese-Shona dictionary alongside five other books as it moves to advance intercultural exchanges between people of the two nations.
The Shona-Chinese-Chinese-Shona Dictionary was produced by the Confucius Institute (CI) in collaboration with the Department of Linguistics at the university.
It is divided into two parts, the first part being a Shona-Chinese section composed of about 1 500 frequently used Shona main headwords.
The second section of the dictionary is a Chinese-Shona part where Chinese words are the main headwords and is composed of about 1 250 frequently used Chinese words.
CI director and one of the editors of the dictionary, Pedzisai Mashiri, said the dictionary will assist in the dissemination of Chinese knowledge and culture and assist Zimbabweans who want to learn Chinese as well as Chinese people who want to learn Shona.
Mashiri said the best way to strengthen those bilateral relations was to have cultural exchange which was mutual.
UZ vice-chancellor, Levi Nyagura said the dictionary will enhance cultural interaction between people of the two countries.
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“We want to promote this important interaction between the two cultures and there is nothing better than focusing on the vehicle that carries the culture of a people and this is the language,” Nyagura said.
Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education director of higher education programmes, Martha Muguti, said the dictionary was a catalyst that bridges the gap between China and Zimbabwe. – online
