Standard English

meaning change of any kind is inherently suspect. For examples of notes on such issues, see preposition, due and hopefully.

The usage notes in the New Oxford American Dictionary take the view that English is English, not Latin, and that English is, like all living languages, subject to change. Good usage is usage that gets the speaker’s or writer’s message across, not usage that conforms to some arbitrary rules that fly in the face of historical fact or current evidence. The editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary are well aware that the prescriptions of pundits in the past have had remarkably little practical effect on the way the language is actually used. A good dictionary reports the language as it is, not as the editors (or anyone else) would wish it to be, and the usage notes must give guidance that accords with observed facts about present-day usage.

This is not to imply that the issues are straightforward or that there are simple solutions, however. Much of the debate about use of language is highly political, and controversy is, occasionally, inevitable. Changing social attitudes have stigmatized long-established uses, such as the word “man” to denote the human race in general, for example, and have highlighted the absence of a gender-neutral singular pronoun meaning both “he” and “she” (for which purpose “they” is now often used). Similarly, words such as “race” and “native” are now associated with particular problems of sensitivity in use. The usage notes in the New Oxford American Dictionary offer information and practical advice on such issues. For examples, see man and native.

Unless otherwise stated, the words and senses recorded in this dictionary are all part of standard English; that is, they are in normal use in both speech and writing everywhere in the world, at many different levels of formality, ranging from official documents to casual conversation. Some words, however, are appropriate only in particular contexts, and these are labeled accordingly. The technical term for a particular level of use in language is register.

The New Oxford American Dictionary uses the following register labels:

formal: normally used only in writing, in contexts such as official documents.

informal: normally used only in contexts such as conversations or letters between friends.

dated: no longer used by the majority of English speakers, but still encountered occasionally, especially among the older generation.

archaic: very old-fashioned language, not in ordinary use at all today, but sometimes used to give a deliberately old-fashioned effect, or found in works of the past that are still widely read.

historical: still used today, but only to refer to some practice or artifact that is no longer part of the modern world.

literary: found only or mainly in literature written in an “elevated” style.

poetic: found only or mainly in poetry.

technical: normally used only in technical and specialist language, though not necessarily restricted to any specific subject field.

rare: not in normal use.

humorous: used with the intention of sounding funny or playful.

dialect: not used in standard American English, but still widely used in certain local regions of the United States.

offensive: language that is likely to cause offense, particularly racial offense, whether the speaker intends it or not.

derogatory: language intended to convey a low opinion or cause personal offense.

vulgar slang: informal language that may cause offense, often because it refers to the bodily functions of sexual activity or excretion, which are still widely regarded as taboo.