The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) has cataloged vernacular terms and idioms from around the country since it was founded in the early 1960s, Sadly, their funding is coming up empty. Previously funded by various grants, including endowments from the National Endoment for the Humanities, the project will run out of money this summer. The Huffington Post brought this interesting information to our attention in their article, “Dictionary Of American Regional English Threatened By Lack Of Funding.”
Anna Lewis, a librarian at the project’s home institution, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has launched a GoFundMe in response to the situation. But with an annual budget of $525,000, DARE’s needs are unlikely to be met by crowdfunding.
Personally, I enjoy the charming language you can find in the Dictionary of American Regional English. It is a nice counterpart to Webster’s and will be missed if funding isn’t resolved.
Melody K. Smith
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