EDITORIAL

The new online version of the Oxford English Dictionary is proving to be a very useful research tool, especially because it allows the user to conduct searches of various kinds. The online version includes the complete text of the second edition (1989) and the four volumes of ‘additions’ (each month about 1000 new and revised entries are added). At the Australian National University the library has a site licence, and all members of the university are able to access the dictionary from their computers. Check if your local library has access.

The National Museum was opened in Canberra early in March. It was gratifying to see the work the Centre did in providing advice for the exhibition on Australian English finally on display. Part of the exhibition has about forty Australian words displayed on individual panels, each word illustrated by a witty cartoon. The viewer can lift up the panel and find out information about each Aussie word—meaning, origin, and so on. The words on display include: bludger, larrikin, bush, fairy bread, bunyip, drop bear, alcheringa, two-up, and plonk.

The Centre published two books in March and April: Voices of Queensland: Words from the Sunshine State and Who’s Centric Now? The Current State of Post-Colonial Englishes. See page 5 for more detail.

 

Frederick Ludowyk

Editor, Ozwords