The following notes describe the structure of entries in the specialist edition and how to understand them. Note that this version is intended for researchers and those deeply interested in Diyari language and culture. General users may find the ‘user-friendly’ edition to be easier to view and search. Some systematic changes to Scherer’s translation have been made in this edition — they are detailed here. Note that material added to the typescript by the editor is preceded by *, e.g. *Meaning-Group:.
Here is a sample entry:

- entries occur within a box with a green background, separated from other entries by a white border;
- each entry begins with a number assigned by Reuther (in this example 368). Some entries early in the Dictionary are grouped together, with derivatives of a main word root having a letter after their number, e.g. 20A to 20E, 22A to 22L. After number 24 this practice is not systematically applied and suffixed letters are generally only used when entries are inserted into the entry sequence, e.g. 188A, 3622A;
- in a box outlined in blue we find a Diyari word or words in green, spelled according to the mission spelling system (see Spelling). This is followed by a part-of-speech specification in black italics. Abbreviations used are:
- adj — adjective
- adv — adverb
- int — interjection
- n — noun
- pro — pronoun
- v — verb
- vi — intransitive verb
- vt — transitive verb
- vrecip — reciprocal verb (‘do to each other’)
- vrefl — reflexive verb (‘do to oneself’)
- *Spelling: gives the modern spelling in purple of the Diyari word(s) where known, added by the editor. Unknown items have CHECK. For the current spelling system see here;
- *Also: gives alternative pronunciations in modern spelling, e.g. in the example above, Spelling: kalhumpa Also: kadlhumpa;
- one or more English translations of the Diyari word(s) are given in orange italics;
- if a form has particular contexts of use this is specified as Context: and if it is idiomatic then Idiom: gives that non-predictable meaning (see example below for “tidna wokara”);
- Grammar: shows any additional grammatical information. Apparently, Reuther believed that, like German, Diyari has unpredictable grammatical genders and assigns ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ to some items, however this is incorrect, at least for the modern language;
- Etymology: these are Reuther’s suggestions of the historical origin of some words. Most of his comments are, unfortunately, rather fanciful and unreliable;
- *Meaning-Group gives the general meaning class of the item assigned by the editor, e.g. Flora, Insects;
- Mythology: gives information about the muramura ‘ancestral beings’ (in bold black italics) associated with some words and expressions, and sometimes significant places (in blue italics) related to them;
- various classified and labelled notes may appear next — the full list of types can be found and searched here;
- Comparative: gives a table of words and expressions in neighbouring languages spoken near Dieri country. These were in use at the mission in Reuther’s time, but are now generally no longer spoken. The other languages given include Wangkangurru, Arabana, Kuyani, Yandruwandha, Yawarrawarka, Thirrari, Ngamini, and occasionally Pilardapa. There is a collection of these materials with editorial notes and modern language forms in the Comparative List. In 10 entries Reuther gives whole sentences in the different languages — these are collected together in Comparative Sentences, with notes and modern language forms, where known, added by the editor;
- subentries — these are words or expressions related to the main entry. They occur with a number in square brackets [00] in order of presentation (see [23] to [27] in the example below). They are, typically, frequent word combinations, or special idiomatic uses;
- *See: are cross-references to related entries (given as No. 00), or subentries (given as No. 00-00), added by the editor (there are examples in the entry shown above);
- examples of usage can appear under entries or subentries. They have a vertical green stripe on the left and consist of between two and four lines (see sub-entry [24] below):
- Diyari words in green (required);
- a literal word-for-word translation into English in black (optional);
- a free translation into English in orange italics (required);
- Context: shows particular contexts within which the given sentence is used (optional).

Searching
Users can search the specialist edition using the Search function (the shortcut is control-F (Windows) or command-F (Mac). Alternatively, you can use one of the indexes to find entries by English meaning, Diyari word form (mission spelling), basic root (modern spelling) or word ending (modern spelling)
To go to the specialist edition of the dictionary click here.
To go to all resources click here.