With its forthcoming release, the first Oxford Dictionary of African American English will shed light on the influence of Black culture on the English language.
The dictionary will focus on the contributions that Black Americans have made to the English language, including the way certain words are now used, including “woke,” “bad,” and “cool.”
The research project is a collaborative effort led by Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research and Oxford University Press, supported by grants from the Mellon and Wagner foundations. University of Arizona linguistics professor Sonja Lanehart is on the advising editor’s team and is proud of the work being done to shed light on Black Americans’ definitions of terms.
“Finally, we will have a space that recognizes our language in a way that encompasses all the people within African American language communities,” Lanehart stated.
The project will also provide background information with particular words and phrases, making the collection a historical reference, much more than a traditional dictionary.
“It will be much more expansive and inclusive of the language as opposed to [just] some words here and there,” Lanehart added.
Researchers are using a variety of tools to compile the new dictionary, such as newspapers, books, and music. Social media will serve as one of the most valuable tools, with communities such as #BlackTwitter serving as an online assemblage for African-American issues, comedy, and cultural references.
The Oxford Dictionary of African American English will make its debut in 2025.
