Dictionary Manuscripts and Lexicographic Tradition in Bosnia From the 16th to the 19th Century

Abstract

Dictionaries in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Bosnian that were created and used in Bosnia from the 16th to the 19th century are an indispensable segment of the Bosnian lexicographic tradition. Based on the researchers and analysis of the form, language, methodology, questions of authorship, and reception of the dictionaries stored in the institutional manuscript collections of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is possible to talk about the dominant lexicographic trends and practices during the Ottoman rule in these areas and to determine the contribution of these manuscripts works and their authors to the development and continuity of the lexicographical tradition. The research base for this work was manuscript collections stored in public cultural and scientific institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Gazi Husrev-bey Library, National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosniak Institute – Adil Zulfikarpašić Foundation, Oriental Institute of the University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo Historical Archives, The Cantonal Archives Travnik, The Cantonal Archives Tuzla, The General Library of Tešanj, Herzegovina Museum Mostar and Herzegovina Archives Mostar.