Amanda Laugesen on the words that define Australia

Associate Professor Amanda Laugesen is Director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre, ANU. She visits Ku-ring-gai Library to reveal some of the ideas, events and values that have shaped Australian English. 

Drawing on her work as chief editor of the Australian National Dictionary, Amanda has selected 100 words and expressions that provide us with a unique way to tell Australian history.  

She considers what these words can tell us about ourselves and our culture, as well as the myths that reflect how we like to see ourselves.  

Learn how the words you use shaped the country you see around you and how it reflects our ongoing evolution.  

About the author 

Historian, lexicographer and author Amanda Laugesen completed her PhD in the History Program at the ANU in 2000, and subsequently worked as a research editor at the Australian National Dictionary Centre, ANU, as well as undertaking teaching in the History Department. She produced two lexical monographs for Oxford University Press (Convict Words: the Language of the Australian Convict Era and Diggerspeak: the Language of Australians at War) while working at the ANDC, as well as working on a number of other projects relating to the history of Australian English. Since taking over as Director of the ANDC, she has co-edited many Oxford Australian dictionaries, including the Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary and the Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary. She was Managing Editor of the second edition of the Australian National Dictionary (2016) and is now chief editor.