Culture

Oxford is Creating an African-American English Dictionary

From the partnership of the Oxford English Dictionary and nd Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African Americans, there will soon be a dictionary based on the language from the culture and its history.

The dictionary is a part of a three-year research project and Henry Louis Gates Jr. was named the Editor-in-Chief.

“Just the way Louis Armstrong took the trumpet and turned it inside out from the way people played European classical music,”  Gates said in The New York Times, adding that Black people “reinvented” English “to make it reflect their sensibilities and to make it mirror their cultural selves.”

The project was funded by grants from the Mellon and Wagner Foundations.

The dictionary will not only define words but explain where they came from. To get the origins, research was done through letters, books, magazines, and more.

“This massive project draws upon decades of scholarship from the most sophisticated linguists, especially those colleagues who have graciously joined this project as members of our advisory board, as well as the vast academic resources at Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, and the crowd-sourced contributions of speakers of African American English as well,” Gates said.

William Carter

Recent Posts

Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVAS Simply Singing! Marks 35 Years with Jenifer Lewis, Loretta Devine, Andra Day & More

A legacy of art and activism continues as Emmy® Award-winning and Tony®-nominated actress and advocate…

2 days ago

Summer Dennis Brings Soul, Charisma, and Healing Energy to The Kennedy Center

Watching Summer Dennis perform at The Kennedy Center was a breath of fresh air, creating…

3 days ago

Multi-Award-Winning Music Legend D’Angelo Passes Away at 51

D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer who helped define the neo-soul movement of the…

3 days ago

‘Real Housewives of Potomac’: Wendy Osefo and Husband Arrested and Charged After Alleged False Burglary Report

Real Housewives of Potomac castmate Wendy Osefo and her husband, Edward Osefo, have been arrested…

1 week ago

Destin Conrad Brings Love, Vulnerability and Soul to The Fillmore Silver Spring

On Sunday, Destin Conrad turned The Fillmore Silver Spring into a space full of love,…

1 week ago

#NewMusic: Tweet Unlocks the Vault With Single ‘Toot Toot’ Ahead of Upcoming Album

R&B songstress and multi-award-winning platinum artist, Tweet, returns to the music scene with her new…

1 week ago