The item below sounds promising but I fear there is an error in the website
address...curiosity thwarted...cheers from Max Richards of Cooee, Melbourne
Australian Word Map, or What's A ŒSnot Block¹?
May 31, 2002
Tomaytoh, tomato ... let's call the whole thing off!
At the pub, do you ask for a Œpot¹ or a Œmiddy¹?
Do you wear your Œcossie¹, Œswimmers¹ or your Œtogs¹ at the beach? When
preparing to travel, do you pack a Œport¹ or a Œsuitcase¹?
English may be Australia¹s common language, but certain words, while
understood in some places, often deliver blank stares in other parts of the
country. These words, phrases and expressions otherwise known as
regionalisms are barely documented and mostly absent from Australian
dictionaries. To address this issue, ABC Online and the Macquarie Dictionary
have created Australian Word Map an interactive website documenting
Australia¹s many weird and wonderful regionalisms. As well as providing some
fascinating browsing, the site is recording an important part of Australian
oral history.
So visit the site, add your
words or search through some of the
contributions, such as Œsnot block¹ a vanilla slice in certain parts of
Victoria.
Contributions will also be considered for inclusion in the Revised 3rd Ed.
of the Macquarie Dictionary.
The site also features two creative writing
competitions one for kids and one for adults. The winning work in each
competition will be published on the Word Map
website and in the reprint of the Revised 3rd Ed. of the Macquarie
Dictionary. Playwright, David Williamson
officially launches Word Map at the Sydney Writers Festival on
Thursday, 30 May, 2002.
The website is located at:
htpp://abc.net.au/wordmap.
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