The UW-Madison based Dictionary of American Regional English is venturing into new, online friendly projects despite financial setbacks throughout the last several years.
DARE is a multi-volume dictionary that defines words and phrases specific to various regions throughout the United States. It was created at UW-Madison nearly 50 years ago.
Current Chief Editor of DARE Joan Houston Hall first started with the publication in 1975, when she and other employees were responsible for entering terms into the dictionary.
The final print volume of DARE that goes through the letter “z” was recently printed, and a digital version was released in 2013 where users can access an interactive map to discover regional terms.
Hall said she hopes DARE will collaborate with various types of apps, such as travel apps, birdwatching apps or various online word games such as “Words with Friends,” in future projects.
“Now we’re excited about the opportunities to create apps ... and make all this wonderful information available in all new ways,” Hall said. “So we’re able to get going in the 21st century.”
However, these developments hit a snag the last few years as funding from federal agencies and private foundations decreased due to “difficult financial situations,” Hall said.
“We will need to reduce [staff] as of July 1, I’m not sure exactly what the result will be, but we’ll keep on in a very minimal way and hope that we can keep on with the project we started, and perhaps get other people interested in getting us to a higher level,” Hall said.
As language continues to change, Hall said DARE will continue to update as well by adding new entries to the dictionary.
“We hate to see things slow down, but we’re not giving up,” Hall said. “We’re going to keep it going somehow.”
