A Hausa-English dictionary was launched on Saturday at Bayero University in Kano (BUK).

The 627-page book, written by Indiana-based American linguistics scholar Paul Newman and his wife, Roxana, was published by BUK press.

Newman was in 1972 the pioneer director of the Center for the Study of Nigerian Languages ​​at the former Abdullahi Bayero College, which morphed into the BUK.

According to book reviewer and executive director of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Professor Isma’il Junaidu, the publication is the most comprehensive bilingual Hausa dictionary since the 1930s.

Junaidu said the dictionary was written in standardized Hausa, while its authors were one of the leading authorities on Afro-Chadic languages ​​globally.

Speaking at the launch, Newman, who was represented by the Dean of the BUK School of Postgraduate Studies, Professor Mustapha Ahmad Isa, said the book launch was a milestone in Hausa language research, and that it also coincided with his 50th birthday. to come to Nigeria.

“With its large number of native speakers and users around the world, Hausa is today without a doubt the most important language in Africa and one of the most important in the world,” Newman said.

Earlier, BUK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas said the launch of the dictionary was not accidental but implied the university’s attraction for knowledge development and research.

The event was honored by the Emirs of Kano, Kazaure, Karaye and Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Joanna Tarnawska; representatives of the governors of Kano, Bauchi, Jigawa and Katsina, as well as a renowned business tycoon, Alhaji Aminu Dantata.