A study of the lexicography of the early Catholic missionaries in Japan : With a focus on the Latin-Portuguese-Japanese dictionary, Dictionarium Latino Lusitanicum, ac Iaponicum

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Dictionarium Latino Lusitanicum, ac Iaponicum, the Latin-Portuguese-Japanese dictionary published by the Jesuits in Japan in 1595 is based on unique and original principles. These principles are not necessarily based on the original European dictionary, Calepinus. For example, Dictionarium contains different kinds of notes on Latin sources and variety of Japanese translations, which were meant for both learners of Latin and Japanese in Japan.No clear evidence has been found of the use of the Dictionarium in editing Vocabulario da lingoa de Iapam, the Japanese-Portuguese dictionary which was subsequently published. However, some colloquial words and idioms similar to those used in Vocabulario can be found in the Japanese translation of Dictionarium, which is basically written in a literary style ; moreover, the translation contains some inconsistencies. Thus, it is hoped that Dictionarium, along with Vocabulario, will be utilized more widely in the future as an important source in Japanese language studies.