Almost all migrant communities have come up with their own blended phrases combining Greek and English words. This transitional Greeklish language is one way for a migrant to move from their predominantly Greek roots to their new life. In Australia, the Australian Slang Project (TASP) is compiling a Greeklish dictionary to document all these precious words before they are lost forever as 2nd and 3rd generation migrants move to more authentic English that isn’t purged with Greek phrases like “chopia” (pork chops) and “booti” (meaning car boot in English but “thigh” in Greek and “butt” in English).

TASP founder is SBS Greek-Australian radio presenter Kyriakos Gold says that the Urban Dictionary database will allow Greek Australians to add their favorite Greeklish words for the sake of posterity – immortalizing phrases such as “shurap william” (shut up, will ya).

“The Greeks from Greece look at the language here and sometimes frown upon it. They look at Greeklish as cannibalising the original language,” Gold told Greek-Australian newspaper Neos Kosmos. “But I don’t see it like that, I see that there’s a hybrid here, that’s it’s evolving on its own and it’s got merit.”

Those who want to contribute their favorite words can do so here:

TASP is also calling for volunteers and can apply through contacting the administrators via their social media networks on Facebook and Twitter.