Since 1908, Oxford University Press in Australia has been dedicated to the advancement of education and knowledge. We are especially proud of our long-standing commitment to the study and nurturance of Australian English, as nowhere is the cultural history of a people more faithfully revealed than in its language.

In honour of our 100th anniversary of publishing in Australia, we are therefore delighted to announce the launch of a new national language resource readily available to all Australians — The Australian National Dictionary online.

Launched in late August 2008, this free online dictionary brings the wealth of information contained in The Australian National Dictionary within easy reach.

The Australian National Dictionary, which took ten years to compile, was the product of the fullest and most detailed research ever undertaken into the history of the Australian English vocabulary.

First published in 1988, The Australian National Dictionary was the first comprehensive, historically based record of the 10,000 words and idioms that make up the Australian contribution to the English language. Each entry provides its own fascinating insight into Australia’s rich and diverse linguistic heritage.

It is a dictionary of Australianisms — those words and meanings of words which originated in Australia, which have greater currency here than elsewhere, or which have a special significance in Australian history. It records the historical development of Australian words and phrases from their earliest use to the present day, providing evidence of this history in some 60,000 dated and referenced quotations drawn from more than 9000 Australian sources.

Australian English is both a unique historical record of the social, cultural, and other forces that have shaped Australia since European settlement and living testimony to the concerns, attitudes, and preoccupations of modern Australians.

The editors of The Australian National Dictionary enjoyed the full support of Oxford lexicographers. To build on this association, the Australian National University and Oxford University Press Australia also established the jointly funded Australian National Dictionary Centre in 1988. Today the Centre is responsible for the preparation of many of Oxford’s Australian dictionaries. It celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year.

To access this marvellous resource simply click here and explore this unique dictionary for yourself.

Links:

Oxford Australia Dictionaries home page

Australian National Dictionary Centre