Research Guides
English Language Dictionaries, Corpora & Other Resources: American English
Slang Dictionaries
- NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
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- Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional EnglishPE3721 .P323 2009
- Dictionary of American SlangPE2846 .D457 2007
- Random House Historical Dictionary of American SlangPE 2846 .H57 1994
- Hatchet Jobs and Hardball: The Oxford Dictionary of American Political SlangPE3727.P6 H38 2004
Dictionaries
- Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) This link opens in a new window
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DARE documents "the varieties of English that are not found everywhere in the United States--those words, pronunciations, and phrases that vary from one region to another. . . .part of our oral rather than written culture." Print version in Suzzallo Reference: PE2843 .D52 1985
- Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles - PE2835 .C72DAE contains words originating in the US, used mostly in the US, or having a connection with the development of the country & history of its people. Slang & dialect terms are limited to early or prominent examples. Cutoff date for new words is the end of the 19th century.
- Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles - PE2835 .D5DA contains words originating in the US, words with a particular American meaning or foreign terms adopted into American English through 1950.
- Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged - PE1625 .W36 1986Webster's Third is a dictionary "of the current vocabulary of standard written and spoken English," especially in the US. Some 450,000 words include variant spellings, pronunciation, part of speech, etymology, etc.
- Cambridge Dictionary of American EnglishPE1628 .C22 2008
Major Online Dictionaries
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
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The authority on the history of the English language.
- Cambridge University Press Online Dictionaries
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Variety of dictionaries including British English, American English, and Learner's English.
MLA Language Map of USA
- MLA Language MapView an interactive map showing the percentages or numbers of speakers of the selected language. Select a state or click the map to zoom in on a region. Add or remove layers: county and city names, rivers and lakes, and Indian reservations. Select Prevalent Language Other Than English maps to see the most spoken language in each county.