The language of Queensland reflects its own distinctive history, its geography, its industries, and its cultural and social life. This book contains some five hundred words significant to Queensland. The chapters focus on various aspects of Queensland, starting with the contributions Queensland Aboriginal languages have made to Australian English, moving to the outback, to lifestyle, to work, to politics and perceptions. The heart of each chapter is a mini-dictionary, each entry having a definition and one or more illustrative quotations.

Contents: 1. Queensland Aboriginal words in Australian English / Bruce Moore -- 2. The good life: 'Beautiful one day, perfect the next' / Dorothy Jauncey -- 3. Dust and distance: Outback Queensland / Julia Robinson -- 4. Bittersweet: The language of the canefields / Linden Wolfe -- 5. Behind the scenery: People, politics and perceptions / Dorothy Jauncey -- 6. The Kayardild language / Nicholas Evans.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-193) and index.