Timaz-hard on the map, now what about others?
A project to create a colloquial map of New Zealand could make Timaz-hard and U-Ram-It more widely known names for Timaru, and its creator is seeking similar nicknames for Mackenzie towns.
Topher Agar has a background in socio-linguistics and speaks six languages. He is also fascinated by maps so decided to explore how people talk about places in his homeland New Zealand.
‘‘As far as I can see, in NZ we have a real creative streak when it comes to nicknaming and playing with words,’’ Agar said.
‘‘We also have a keen sense of irony and an ability, most of the time, to laugh at ourselves.’’
Agar realised there seemed to be many colloquial forms of place names such as Rollywood for Rolleston, Waimo for Waimate and The Point for Pleasant Point, and he wanted to find out more.
‘‘Not everyone may appreciate the ‘value’ in my research but for me slang, nicknames, etc are a crucial part of language and communication,’’ Agar said.
‘‘They demonstrate local innovation, and can be ephemeral, so I felt this should be recorded for posterity.’’
Agar was inspired by a similar project launched by the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC) to collate nicknames for Australian places, names which ANDC editor Mark Gwynn said give locals a sense of ownership and visitors a welcoming informality.
Agar hopes to present his research on New Zealand place names to the Dictionary of New Zealand English.
‘‘I’ve done an awful lot of googling to
‘‘. . . for me slang, nicknames, etc are a crucial part of language and communication.’’
confirm whether something is actually used, and by how many people, and lingering on fora [forum plural],’’ Agar said.
‘‘In general people from all over the country have had a lot of helpful input to offer,’’ Agar said.
He said a ‘‘tiny group’’ of people have been offended by his research, particularly with regards to Ma¯ori place names, but he says he loves and respects the place names in that language and is simply curious about how people communicate about their homes.
Agar has taken to social media in recent weeks in search of nicknames for areas of the Mackenzie District such as Tekapo and Twizel. If anyone knows of popular nicknames for their town they can contact Agar at peneloping@gmail. com