Varieties of English

From its base in Britain, the English language has expanded over the centuries to become a world language, in which individual varieties share a common core of words but develop their own individual characteristics. When the First Edition of the Dictionary was published, it documented the language of the British Isles in greater detail than the varieties of English which were established or emerging elsewhere. Since that time, a considerable amount of major lexicographical work has been conducted in other areas where English is used, and the current revision is able to benefit from this scholarship. Material from such texts as the Dictionary of American English and the Dictionary of Americanisms, the Dictionary of Canadianisms, the Dictionary of South African English, the Australian National Dictionary, the Dictionary of New Zealand English, and many others, supported by the Dictionary's own reading programme, has enabled the editors to enhance the coverage of varieties of English worldwide. The English of the British Isles now becomes one (or indeed several) of these varieties, whereas previously standard British English may have been regarded as the dominant form of English.

A large number of words from national varieties of English may be found in the early part of the letter M. Examples of these are listed in the Etymology section above, and many have a long history in their own variety. This trend of inclusion will be continued as editorial work progresses elsewhere in the alphabet. Again, the dating of terms from these varieties illustrates not only the spread of the vocabulary but also the social and cultural changes which necessarily precede or accompany this.