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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
.
Standard English
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.
