Microsoft offices seeks English words

Microsoft is seeking to update its dictionary of English words

27 April 2007 15:56 GMT / By Ryan Haynes

We see the English (UK) and English (US) options, but even then it is difficult to get the correct word. Microsoft is hoping to change this and take on the true English language, by asking for it.

Officially the company is launching a project to find quirky words from dialects across the UK to help make its 2007 Microsoft Office more "British".

If you think of any words you come across that appear to missing you should send them in to dialect@microsoft.com - if the words are found to be suitable, you could find them in a new dictionary of regional dialects which will available to download online and form part of a personal version of Microsoft Office 2007.

“Britain has a rich heritage of different accents and dialects and, contrary to popular opinion, there is still a great deal of lexical diversity across the UK – where else would you find the words 'cob', 'batch', 'bun’, ‘barm cake’, ‘stotty cake’, ‘scuffler’ and ‘bread cake’, all meaning bread roll?”, said Jonathan Robinson, curator of English accents and dialects at The British Library, who will judge which of the words will make it into the dictionary.

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