XOBDO ( www.xobdo.net ) is your dictionary.You can add words, challenge them and thus decide its destiny. Just initiate a discussion or post your view point on any of the ACTIVE discussions about the correctness of the spellings and their meanings. At the end of the discussion, your view point will be taken into considerations to update the dictionary entries.

What is Xobdo?

'XOBDO' (means sound or word in Assamese) is a non-profit organization formed with a group of volunteers located in various parts of the globe with the common interest of promoting the languages of the North-East India in the cyberworld. Members of Xobdo are voluntarily collaborating to construct and maintain this website.

In March, 2006 the Xobdo team began working on the online English and Assamese bidirectional dictionary. Currently, Xobdo has a number of North-Eastern languages included in its dictionary.

How can you help Xobdo?

If you speak any of the languages listed on the Xobdo homepage, you can help us by contributing words of your language. Registering yourself at Xobdo is free and easy. Once you are registered you can start adding words from your language. Moreover, if you speak any of the North-Eastern languages not listed at Xobdo and still you want to build an online dictionary, you can contact us and we will be happy to help you.

VISION,

(a) To demolish the man-made language barrier and thereby fuel mutual understanding and cooperation among the people of the entire North-East India.

(b) Bring the languages of the North-East to the fore-front of the Information Technology age., MISSION, Cooperate constructively with all possible quarters to build multilingual dictionaries and other linguistic resources to strive to materialize the visions.,

GENERAL POLICY (for Online Dictionary),

(a) XOBDO attempts to capture the languages as they are used (i.e. spoken, written and understood) today in their original forms. It does not attempt to enforce or express its own viewpoint about any spelling or semantics to be right or wrong.,

(b) Therefore, XOBDO does not want to follow any specific dictionary or any glossary/word-list published by any authority or entity; neither it accepts opinions of any expert. Rather, it considers the present-day meaning to be the standard as it is evidenced in ‘contemporary use’ i.e., i) Appear in renowned newspapers, magazines or the writings of well known authors and journalists, ii) Extensively used (spoken or written) in special fields or areas like judicial courts, govt. offices, religious institutes, traditional functions etc.,

(c) XOBDO also attempts to record the languages as they were used in the past.,

(d) XOBDO is not in the business of inventing or coining new words. Any word proposed to be added in XOBDO must have ‘contemporary use’ as explained above. In case of a new word coined recently, XOBDO will not add it unless it appears in at least one renowned newspaper or magazine.,


(e) Anybody can become member and contribute words to the dictionary. He/she can also challenge the spellings or meanings entered. Through discussions with other members of XOBDO a consensus decision has to be taken within a reasonable time frame and the entry has to be updated accordingly.,

(f) Writing System: The following standard script has been adopted by XOBDO:,

(i) English, Khasi, Karbi, Dimasa, Mising, Meeteilon, Nagamese, Ao and Apatani will be written in ROMAN scripts,

(ii) Assamese, Tai & Bishnupriya will be written in Eastern Nagari scripts.,

(iii) will be written in Devnagari scripts.