Preface.
The main object of this book is to exhibit the spoken language of that section of the Chinese people called the Hakkas (客家). The book is based on a MSS. dictionary, partly in Chinese-English and partly in Chinese-German, prepared by missionaries belonging to the Basel Missionary Society. This valuable MSS. was, in the first instance, prepared by Rev. Th. Hamberg and Rev. R. Lechler. Mr. Hamberg commenced this work shortly after his arrival in China in 1847 and worked at it till his death in 1854. The work was then taken up by the venerable Mr. Lechler, who came to China with Mr. Hamberg in 1847, and is still spared to us in his green old age.
The MSS. has been copied during the past fifty years by all the young missionaries coming to China in connection with the Basel and Berlin Missions. It was revised and abbreviated by Rev. Charles Piton, one of our best Hakka students. The Basel MSS. gives Hakka as spoken in the S. W. corner of the chief Hakka field; the present book gives in the main the language of the N. E. part of the field. This geographical fact will explain many of the variations. Those who possess copies of the Basel MSS. will at once see that the use here made of it is such that it would not be fair to its venerable authors (or to the present writer) to make them further responsible for this book.
It is a matter for much regret that the Basel Mission was not able to spare one of their men to help in the preparation of the Dictionary in its present form. Rev. O. Schultze, of that Mission, kindly transcribed for me what might be called a Ka-yin-chu version of the parts of the MSS. under the letters A—K and S. I have also received help in various ways from Rev. C. Kastler, of Ka-yin-chu. The book owes much of its value to my Chinese writer (and former pupil), 彭景高, whose whole time for two years was given to revising and adding to my collection of colloquial phrases and to correcting the Chinese part of the proof. Mr. Phang unfortunately does not know English, but his accurate knowledge of Hakka colloquial has proved invaluable.
