The Oxford English Dictionary is what’s called a historical dictionary. Along with definitions, it includes evidence of a word’s origins and notes how its usage and meaning have changed over time.

Black Americans have long contributed to the ways in which the English language is used, and now a new research project aims to compile the first Oxford Dictionary of African American English.

For his new anthology, “The People’s Tongue: Americans and the English Language,” author, editor and Amherst College professor Ilan Stavans collected perspectives from 74 writers throughout ...

Oxford University Press and Harvard University are collaborating to create the Oxford Dictionary of African American English (ODAAE). Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Director of Harvard University’s ...