Research Guides: English: Language

Language

English Studies also, of course, encompasses the study of the English language. This includes Second Language Studies, History of the English Language, and aspects of Linguistics. This page collects resources related to this aspect of English Studies. For additional information on how this is taught at Purdue, see the link below.

English Language & Linguistics
A page maintained by the Purdue English Department, describing the state of English Language & Linguistics in the department and suggesting additional resources.
Second Language Studies
A page maintained by the Purdue English Department, describing the state of Second Language Studies within the department and suggesting additional resources.

Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) This link opens in a new window
The authoritative source on American colloquialisms and local slang. The interactive map enables browsing by region, including states and major areas within each region.
Dictionary of Old English/Corpus
The Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus is an online database consisting of at least one copy of every surviving Old English text. In some cases, more than one copy is included, if it is significant because of dialect or date. As such, the DOE Web Corpus represents over three million words of Old English and fewer than a million words of Latin, or almost five times the collected works of Shakespeare.
Middle English Compendium This link opens in a new window
Offers three major Middle English electronic resources: the Middle English Dictionary [MED], a HyperBibliography of Middle English prose and verse, based on the MED bibliographies, and a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, as well as links to an associated network of electronic resources.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.

Linguistics
by J.P. Herubel Last Edited Apr 5, 2024 425 views this year
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
by Bethany McGowan Last Edited Feb 28, 2024 24 views this year

Middle English Compendium This link opens in a new window
Offers three major Middle English electronic resources: the Middle English Dictionary [MED], a HyperBibliography of Middle English prose and verse, based on the MED bibliographies, and a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, as well as links to an associated network of electronic resources.

Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary
A searchable digital version of the dictionary of Old English edited by Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller in the 19th century, which remains the most comprehensive Old English dictionary available.