an wan word="or">oran>d="Wan word="or">oran>ds">Wan word="or">oran>dsan> an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an>">an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an>an> an wan word="or">oran>d="Their">Theiran> an wan word="or">oran>d="Stan word="or">oran>ies">Stan word="or">oran>iesan>: an wan word="or">oran>d="A">Aan> an wan word="or">oran>d="Final">Finalan> an wan word="or">oran>d="D">Dan>.an wan word="or">oran>d="A">Aan>.an wan word="or">oran>d="R">Ran>.an wan word="or">oran>d="E">Ean>.
24 an wan word="or">oran>d="March">Marchan> 2012

an wan word="or">oran>d="Now">Nowan>, an wan word="or">oran>d="the">thean> an wan word="or">oran>d="VOA">VOAan> an wan word="or">oran>d="Special">Specialan> an wan word="or">oran>d="English">Englishan> an wan word="or">oran>d="program">programan> an wan word="or">oran>d="WORDS">WORDSan> an wan word="or">oran>d="AND">ANDan> an wan word="or">oran>d="THEIR">THEIRan> an wan word="or">oran>d="STORIES">STORIESan>.

an wan word="or">oran>d="Today">Todayan> an wan word="or">oran>d="we">wean> an wan word="or">oran>d="talk">talkan> an wan word="or">oran>d="about">aboutan> an wan word="or">oran>d="wan word="or">oran>ds">wan word="or">oran>dsan> an wan word="or">oran>d="like">likean>an wan word="or">oran>d="honeyfuggle">honeyfugglean>an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an>an wan word="or">oran>d="pinkletink">pinkletinkan>,an wan word="or">oran>d="puckerbrush">puckerbrushan>an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an>an wan word="or">oran>d="swop">swopan>. an wan word="or">oran>d="These">Thesean> an wan word="or">oran>d="are">arean> an wan word="or">oran>d="wan word="or">oran>ds">wan word="or">oran>dsan> an wan word="or">oran>d="not">notan> an wan word="or">oran>d="found">foundan> an wan word="or">oran>d="in">inan> an wan word="or">oran>d="most">mostan> an wan word="or">oran>d="dictionaries">dictionariesan>. an wan word="or">oran>d="But">Butan> an wan word="or">oran>d="you">youan> an wan word="or">oran>d="can">canan> an wan word="or">oran>d="find">findan> an wan word="or">oran>d="them">theman> an wan word="or">oran>d="in">inan> an wan word="or">oran>d="the">thean> an wan word="or">oran>d="Dictionary">Dictionaryan> an wan word="or">oran>d="of">ofan> an wan word="or">oran>d="American">Americanan> an wan word="or">oran>d="Regional">Regionalan> an wan word="or">oran>d="English">Englishan>. an wan word="or">oran>d="Joan">Joanan> an wan word="or">oran>d="Houston">Houstonan> an wan word="or">oran>d="Hall">Hallan> an wan word="or">oran>d="is">isan> an wan word="or">oran>d="the">thean> an wan word="or">oran>d="chief">chiefan> an wan word="or">oran>d="editan word="or">oran>">editan word="or">oran>an>.

JOAN HOUSTON HALL: "The Dictionary of American Regional English, familiarly known as DARE by its acronym, is a collection of wan word="or">oran>ds an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> phrases an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> pronunciations an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> even bits of grammar an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> syntax that vary from one part of the country to another."

The fifth an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> final book in the series was published last week. Wan word="or">oran>k on DARE first began in nineteen sixty-five under Frederic Cassidy, an English professan word="or">oran> at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> a team of eighty researchers traveled across the United States to document the wan word="or">oran>ds used by Americans to describe their daily lives.

Ms. Hall says the final project is based on almost two an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> a half million responses to man word="or">oran>e than sixteen hundred questions.

JOAN HOUSTON HALL: "The questionnaire dealt with all san word="or">oran>ts of things that have to do with our daily lives -- from time an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> weather an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> food an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> clothing an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> farming an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> plants an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> animals an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> religion, health, disease, honesty, dishonesty -- all the parts of our lives that we have wan word="or">oran>ds fan word="or">oran>."

The first book, in nineteen eighty-five, contained the letters A to C. The fifth an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> final volume starts withan wan word="or">oran>d="slab">slaban>an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> ends withan wan word="or">oran>d="zydeco">zydecoan>.

DARE contains almost sixty thousan wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> wan word="or">oran>ds an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> terms. Ms. Hall says these can show where the people who use them are from.

an wan word="or">oran>d="JOAN">JOANan> an wan word="or">oran>d="HOUSTON">HOUSTONan> an wan word="or">oran>d="HALL">HALLan>: "an wan word="or">oran>d="It">Itan>’an wan word="or">oran>d="s">san> an wan word="or">oran>d="amazing">amazingan> an wan word="or">oran>d="to">toan> an wan word="or">oran>d="see">seean> an wan word="or">oran>d="the">thean> an wan word="or">oran>d="tremendous">tremendousan> an wan word="or">oran>d="variety">varietyan> an wan word="or">oran>d="of">ofan> an wan word="or">oran>d="terms">termsan> an wan word="or">oran>d="used">usedan> an wan word="or">oran>d="fan word="or">oran>">fan word="or">oran>an> an wan word="or">oran>d="the">thean> an wan word="or">oran>d="same">samean> an wan word="or">oran>d="thing">thingan>."

an wan word="or">oran>d="Fan word="or">oran>">Fan word="or">oran>an> an wan word="or">oran>d="example">examplean>, an wan word="or">oran>d="in">inan> an wan word="or">oran>d="some">somean> an wan word="or">oran>d="areas">areasan>, an wan word="or">oran>d="Americans">Americansan> an wan word="or">oran>d="call">callan> an wan word="or">oran>d="a">aan> an wan word="or">oran>d="carbonated">carbonatedan> an wan word="or">oran>d="drink">drinkan> an wan word="or">oran>d="a">aan>an wan word="or">oran>d="soda">sodaan>; an wan word="or">oran>d="in">inan> an wan word="or">oran>d="others">othersan> an wan word="or">oran>d="they">theyan> an wan word="or">oran>d="call">callan> an wan word="or">oran>d="it">itan>an wan word="or">oran>d="pop">popan>. an wan word="or">oran>d="Some">Somean> an wan word="or">oran>d="cook">cookan> an wan word="or">oran>d="with">withan> an wan word="or">oran>d="a">aan>an wan word="or">oran>d="frying">fryingan> an wan word="or">oran>d="pan">panan>; an wan word="or">oran>d="others">othersan> an wan word="or">oran>d="call">callan> an wan word="or">oran>d="it">itan> an wan word="or">oran>d="a">aan>an wan word="or">oran>d="skillet">skilletan>. an wan word="or">oran>d="And">Andan> an wan word="or">oran>d="a">aan> an wan word="or">oran>d="party">partyan> an wan word="or">oran>d="where">wherean> an wan word="or">oran>d="everyone">everyonean> an wan word="or">oran>d="brings">bringsan> an wan word="or">oran>d="food">foodan> an wan word="or">oran>d="is">isan> an wan word="or">oran>d="either">eitheran> an wan word="or">oran>d="a">aan>an wan word="or">oran>d="potluck">potluckan>an word="or">oran>apitch-in.

Linguist Ben Zimmer writes about language fan word="or">oran> the Boston Globe. He was not the only one excited at Ms. Hall's first public showing of the final DARE volume. It was at a meeting of the American Dialect Society in January.

BEN ZIMMER: "We all gathered together in the conference room an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> Joan showed off volume five. And there were audible gasps in the room. I mean, it might as well have been accompanied by an angelic chan word="or">oran>us. People just wanted to touch it like it was the holy relic an word="or">oran> something."

So now, what aboutan wan word="or">oran>d="honeyfuggle">honeyfugglean>an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> those other wan word="or">oran>ds?Honeyfugglemeans to cheat an word="or">oran> trick. The earliest uses found were in the eighteen hundreds in the South.Pinkletinkis the name that people in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, have given to a kind of tree frog.Puckerbrushis what people in nan word="or">oran>thern New Englan wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> call a tangled growth of bushes. And aan wan word="or">oran>d="swop">swopan>is a small drink of liquan word="or">oran>, at least in Annapolis, Marylan wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an>, an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Here are a few others. The first person to enter a home on New Year’s Day is called afirst-footerin some places. What do you call dust an word="or">oran> lint that collects in pockets an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> under beds? Some Americans call itflug. And finally,getting the runaroundis not a regional term; it means getting purposely delayed an word="or">oran> lied to. But to some,runaroundis an old term fan word="or">oran> a swelling an word="or">oran> infection in a finger, especially around the nail. Yuck!

WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by June Simms. Transcripts, MP3s an wan word="or">oran>d="an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>">an wan word="or">oran>d="and">andan>an> podcasts of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Faith Lapidus.