Abbas Sultan

Shabaki-English Dictionary Abbas Sultan

This first dictionary of the Shabaki language represents my sole efforts. I recognized since very long that the unwritten language of my people might be lost over the generations as fewer and fewer young people speak it. In 1999, I began the dictionary project on my own writing down words on file cards and later in 2003 on my computer. This dictionary is my monument and life work. I began by developing a way of writing Shabaki that would be consistent and as phonetically accurate as possible while being easy to read and write for those familiar with the English writing system. I worked steadily from 1999 to 2020 using my own spare time and resources, with some help from my family.