Linguistics Reference Sources
- Linguistics Research GuideA portal to a wide array of resources for linguistics research, including reference books online, journal article databases, and more.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias: LinguisticsOver 500 background articles on linguistics topics.
- Oxford ReferenceA wide-ranging database of reference books (dictionaries and encyclopedias). Useful for definitions of terms and background articles in most disciplines.
Social and Historical Contexts of English Words
English Language Dictionaries:
- The Oxford English DictionaryThe premier historical dictionary of the English language. Entries for each sense of the word are illustrated with quotations from the history of written English.
- Oxford Language Dictionaries OnlineOnline bilingual dictionaries for English and these languages: French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, and Russian.
- Oxford Reference: English Language DictionariesCollected in one place, online access to Australian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd ed.; Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd ed.; New Oxford American Dictionary, 3rd ed.; The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary; Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed.; and two Oxford English-language thesauri.
Slang and Regional Englishes:
- Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)"DARE does not include words that are commonly used throughout the United States, but rather focuses on the regional aspects of our language, documenting words, phrases, and pronunciations that vary from one place to another." --catalog summary
- Green's Dictionary of SlangEdinburgh: Chambers, 2010. (Print version: Olin Reference PE 3721 .G677 2010 +)
An authoritative and extensive dictionary of slang words from the past five centuries up to the present day, from English-speaking countries and regions. - Urban Dictionary: Define Your WorldUnexpurgated, crowd-sourced definitions and usage examples of current slang words and phrases.
Interesting Facts and Usage Guidelines:
- The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English LanguageCall Number: Olin Library Reference PE 1072 .C68 20193rd edition. Cambridge University Press, 2019. Print only.
An engaging guide to the history of English, where English words come from, social and personal variations in English usage, and much more. - The Cambridge Guide to English UsagePublication Date: 2004Available online.
Print version: Olin Library Reference PE 1464 .P48 2004
"The Cambridge Guide to English Usage is an A-Z reference book, giving an up-to-date account of the debatable issues of English usage and written style. Its advice draws on a wealth of recent research and data from very large corpora of American and British English - illuminating their many divergences and also points of convergence on which international English can be based. The book comprises more than 4000 points of word meaning, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and larger issues of inclusive language, and effective writing and argument." [Description section] - Oxford Companion to the English LanguageCall Number: Olin Library Reference PE 31 .O84 2018Publication Date: 20182nd edition.
Available online and in print.
A lively textual exploration of the language. There are three types of entries: essay entries, brief dictionary entries for definitions or other explanations, and biographical entries.