Oak Bay resident Stefan Dollinger always loved languages. He spent hours and hours in the depths of the Vienna University Library, studying the origins of modern language, and more specifically, English.
In early 2000 though, the Austrian-born lexicographer and University of British Columbia English department professor stumbled on what seemed to be a bible 香蕉视频直播� or more so a linguistic map 香蕉视频直播� of the Canadian language: the Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles (DCHP) circa 1967.
香蕉视频直播淟ots of people who are in languages and literature, they don香蕉视频直播檛 really know about it yet,香蕉视频直播� said Dollinger, adding that as it happened, he was also writing his PhD dissertation on early Ontario English, (ironically not on lexicons). It wasn香蕉视频直播檛 until 2005 conference in Toronto when the idea of someone revising DCHP surfaced.
Dollinger eagerly stepped in, and Nelson, DCHP香蕉视频直播檚 original publisher, approached him for what would take nearly a decade, $300,000 and 43 talented students to create what is now . And, unlike online sources telling the origins of Canadianisms, Dollinger and his team香蕉视频直播檚 approach is meticulously processed.
香蕉视频直播淭here are lots of lists online that talks about Canadianisms, Canadian words and meanings, but they香蕉视频直播檙e not very good香蕉视频直播� this has been a scientific approach towards geographical variation in English,香蕉视频直播� he said.
They didn香蕉视频直播檛 just look at Canadian sources, either, but at American and British, New Zealand and Australian language pools for reference. Dollinger added 1,002 new head words and roughly 1,300 new meanings, with a total of around 11,000 head words and 14,500 meanings. The first 香蕉视频直播�67 edition of DCHP was also digitized for easier access.
DCHP is not necessarily for immigrants and newcomers either, but a lingual source rich with history.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 mostly for Canadians who really need authoritative information about what it is that makes their English special,香蕉视频直播� Dollinger said. 香蕉视频直播淲e did a tenth of what the original team did, but when you look at the new entries, they are 10 times as long than the old ones.香蕉视频直播�
There are some revealing, if not startling, entries. For example, the term originates from the Hawaiian kanaka 香蕉视频直播榤an香蕉视频直播� and was used in discriminatory and racist contexts, as well as describing a French-Canadian individual. Canuck took a lighter meaning in 1945, when a Vancouver hockey team, the , was formed, and remains today as the most frequent use of the word.
Still, the reality is that language, and indeed Canadian English, is constantly evolving.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 just logical development of linguistics and the way people speak,香蕉视频直播� Dollinger said, adding each community develops its own linguistic features and cultures. 香蕉视频直播淚n the old European context, the longer a particular area has been there, the more diverse it is in terms of dialect. In the last two or three centuries, that has been counterbalanced by the influence of standard languages.香蕉视频直播�
The project doesn香蕉视频直播檛 stop here, either. Dollinger is planning on a possible DCHP-3, and mulling to maybe fundraise a print edition of DCHP-2. This year, he will work with University of Victoria香蕉视频直播檚 archives of the first-edition of the English dictionary to compile a book on the making of Canadian English.
