Happy 90th Birthday, OED. (And thank YOU for bringing the gift.)

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the publication of the First Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press is offering UK, Canadian and US non-subscribing public schools free online access for the 2018/19 calendar year.  If you are unfamiliar with the OED, read about its evolution as the last word on words.

Academic high school English departments will want to join this celebration. (I remember relying so heavily on our print OED set when our AP Lit students were analyzing Shakespearean soliloquies.)

Check out the terms and conditions and consider registering for access at https://public.oed.com/schools90/

While you are visiting the site, check out the very interesting Youth Words project.

In its effort to record all distinctive words that shape the language, old and new, formal and informal, OED is soliciting help in better understanding how young people are themselves shaping our language.

. . .the terms that are in vogue change so rapidly and newer ephemeral modes of communication (texting, WhatsApp, Snapchat, etc.) make it difficult to monitor and record this kind of vocabulary. That’s why we are asking for your help in identifying the language used by children and teenagers today.

You can contribute by using this form to share any distinctive vocabulary you discover used by children and teenagers and you can also join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #youthslangappeal.

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