End of a historic chapter as Sweden finishes dictionary

The final volume of a definitive Swedish language dictionary was sent to the printers last week, marking a 140-year journey of linguistic dedication, its editor said on Wednesday.

The Swedish Academy, the prestigious body that awards the Nobel Prize in literature, has produced the Swedish Academy Dictionary, which contains 33,111 pages across 39 volumes, and stands as Sweden's answer to the Oxford English Dictionary.

"It was started in 1883 and now we're done," its editor Christian Mattsson told Agence France-Presse. "Over the years, 137 full-time employees have worked on it."

More work lies ahead as the older volumes, A to R, will need updating to incorporate new, modern words, Mattsson said.

He explained that the word "allergy", which was introduced to the Swedish language in the 1920s, does not feature in the A volume, as it was published in 1893.

Words such as "Barbie doll", "app "and "computer" are among a list of 10,000 that will be added to the dictionary over the next seven years, he said.

Tracing the Swedish language from 1521 till the present day, the dictionary serves as a historical document. With only 200 printed versions issued, the text will primarily be utilized by researchers and linguists, though it is also accessible online.

Speaking to Radio Sweden, Mattsson, who has been the dictionary's editor-in-chief for the past eight years, said completing the work is very satisfying.

"People have been born and have died along the way, so it is a fantastic feeling to know we are the ones who can finish the dictionary after so many generations of hard work," he said.

Asked why the dictionary took so long to complete, Mattsson said: "It's a very complicated work, because this is a very detailed analysis and description of the Swedish language starting from the 16th century up to today's date.

"That means that we have to cover all Swedish words that have been used under a period of 500 years. So that explains why it has taken nearly 150 years to complete this huge dictionary."

While the Swedish dictionary has just been completed, producers of the Oxford English Dictionary are already halfway through completing a third edition, according to Radio Sweden.

"We have only about 15 staff, while English is such a big language, and they have more resources and money, and can employ more people," Mattsson said.

In addition to its historical work, the academy also releases a standard dictionary featuring contemporary Swedish, AFP reported.

Established in 1786 by King Gustav III, the Swedish Academy was created with the purpose of nurturing Sweden's language and literature, striving for the "purity, vigor and majesty" of the Swedish language.