The Label "Dialect" in American College Dictionaries

The Label "Dialect" in American College Dictionaries Virginia McDavid The use of labels as a guide in dictionaries is an old and well-established practice. Some of these labels, like "obsolete" and "vulgar," are relatively clear. As a label, "dialect" suggests geographical limitation , and the definitions provided in the front matter of the four dictionaries considered in this study all incorporate region as a part of the definition. In actual practice, however, the label "dialect" covers social, temporal, and stylistic variation as well. The labels "dialect" and "nonstandard " overlap to a considerable extent. So do "old-fashioned" and "dialect." "Dialect," in fact, is almost a catch-all label for a word or sense felt to be outside the mainstream of "correct" American usage — "There's something funny about this one." The four dictionaries considered in this study of labels are Merriam -Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993 (WlO), Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, 1994 (WNWD), The American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition, 1993 (AHCD), and the Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 1992 ( RHWCD). Also considered were the four parallel electronic dictionaries: Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Deluxe Electronic Edition, 1994; Webster's New World Dictionary with the American Concise Encyclopedia, Power CD, 1995; The American Heritage Talking Dictionary, 1994; and The Random House Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1994. Table 1 contains definitions of the key labels "dialect" or "regional ," "nonstandard," "standard," "old-fashioned" and "older use" found in these dictionaries. The labels and abbreviations used in this study are in table 2. Tables 3 (Words or Senses Labeled "Nonstandard"), 4 (WNWD "Old-fashioned" Label), 5 (RHWCD "Older Use" Label), and 6 (AHCD "Regional" Label) present groups of words assigned a specific 114 Virginia McDavid Table 1 DEFINITIONS OF KEY LABELS USED IN THE DICTIONARIES "Dialect" WlO: WNWD: AHCD: RHWCD: "The label dial for "dialect" indicates that the pattern of use of a word or sense is too complex for summary labeling: it usually includes several regional varieties of American English or of American and British English." "The term or sense is used regularly only in some geographical areas or in a certain designated area (South, Southwest, West, etc) of the United States." "Dialect labels. When a word or sense is commonly used in a specific area of the United States and little used — even if known — in other areas, it has been given a dialect label __ This Dictionary uses dialect labels singly and in various combinations ranging from the very general (Regional) to the very specific (Cincinnati)" "Entries or definitions limited in use to particular geographical location are given a regional label .... Entries not so labeled are considered to be in general use in the U.S. A few terms too widespread to warrant specific geographical restriction and with a somewhat rural flavor are labeled 'Dial'." "Nonstandard" or "Substandard" WlO:"The stylistic label nonstand for "nonstandard" is used for a few words or senses that are disapproved by many but that have some currency in reputable contexts:... irregardless, adv. The stylistic label substand for "substandard" is used for those words or senses that conform to a widespread pattern of usage that differs in choice of word or form from that of the prestige group of the community.... is, substand près pi of BE." WNWD: "... supplementary information is often given after the definition, indicating whether the term or sense is generally regarded as vulgar , substandard, or derogatory, used with ironic, familiar, or hyperbolic connotations, etc." AHCD: "Non-Standard. This, the most restrictive label in the Dictionary, is applied to forms and usages that educated speakers and writers consider unacceptable: anyways, adv." RHWCD: "Nonstandard. Not conforming to the speech or grammar of educated persons and often regarded as a marker of low social status." "Old-fashioned" WNWD: "The term or sense is not yet considered archaic but has an oldfashioned quality, as one used by an older generation of people, that has been superseded by another or other words." "Older Use" RHWCD: "Commonly used in the early part of the 20th century; now heard primarily among older members of the population, as certain slang terms from the 1920s or 1930s ... dast 'dare'." The Label "Dialect" in...