The Australian National University had announced plans to cease publication of the third edition of the Australian National Dictionary to save money. Only to attract an anonymous donor at five minutes to midnight on Thursday, which will give it two more years of funding. I spoke to Professor Kate Burridge, a linguistics expert from Monash University; she remains a critic of ANU for not fully backing it in the first place and still fears for its future.

Fitz: Professor, let’s take it from the top. What is the background to the Australian National Dictionary (AND) and why is it so important for us as a nation?

The first Australian National Dictionary was published in 1988. Credit: Getty Images

KB: Well, it is modelled on the Oxford English Dictionary and is much more than just a dictionary – it tracks words and meanings over time, those that are distinctively Australian. The idea that became the OED was conceived in 1857, with the full first edition completed in 1928. Around half a century later, work was begun on an Australian version, with the first edition published in 1988, The Australian National Dictionary: A Dictionary of Australianisms on Historical Principles.

Fitz: So part of the idea is to have a standardised version of our everyday language, and put it in historical context so it is documented where and when words and phrases were first used?

KB: Not quite, the AND is not a general-purpose dictionary of all words, but a record of words that reflect Australian history, culture and identity. A great work like this publication was a real turning point in the history of Australian English. It marked when we could say the language stopped being just a kind of “English spoken in Australia” and became “Australian English” – we no longer had to ask Britain who we were when it came to language.

Professor Kate Burridge: “Our words are windows into the way Australians have lived, worked and thought.”Credit: Chris Hopkins

Fitz: You bloody beauty. How far the language has come, thus, from the colonial days when it was derided by – and I choose my own words carefully – toffee-nosed Pommy dickheads, as “the base language of English thieves” and “crude, misshapen and careless”.

KB: Yes, our language is a source of pride and affection, and we celebrate the expressions that embody our distinct voice. Documenting their evolution, and putting those words into historical context by publishing that dictionary is doing exactly what the Australian National University (ANU) is funded for and should be supporting – part of its founding charter is to engage in nation-building exercises and to strengthen Australia’s shared identity. The second edition came out in 2016 and the third edition is due soon.

Fitz: Some will say, though, “What do I care about these university wankers carrying on? Why is........

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