Have you ever speculated on what could be considered "Illinois words," or even "Chicago words"? Would you like to know what words are used particularly frequently among women or Blacks? Were you wondering what borrowings from Russian or Polish are used in American English? Are you looking for examples of rhotacism or ellipsis to use in your class? We've made it easy to find the answers to these and similar questions. The above title may sound like a 19th-century work, but it is actually a very recent one that will save you the trouble of sifting through DARE for the answers to such questions. Published in 1993 as Publication of the American Dialect Society number 77, this 6" x 9" volume (xxii + 178 pages) lists all states, cities, and other geographical regions, as well as social and usage labels, etymological processes, and languages mentioned in the head sections of DARE entries for volumes I and II. The second Index, to DARE Volume III (xxii + 82 pages), came out as PADS 82 in 1999. The page below shows, for example, those words used in Idaho, Illinois (both the whole state and Chicago specifically), and Indiana; those from Igbo (an African language) or from American Indian languages; and words that are formed by imitation, contain an infix, or are generally used informally. Following each headword is the label as a whole as it appears in DARE.
You cannot, of course, use the Index without DARE, for the meanings of the terms are not given in the Index. And you must keep in mind that words used in Illinois, for example, are also used in larger regions which subsume Illinois: the state is included in the regions labeled North Central and Upper Mississippi Valley as well as Mississippi-Ohio Valleys. And parts of Illinois are included in the regions labeled North, North Midland, South Midland, and Great Lakes.
Both volumes are available for purchase from:
The cost for each volume of the Index is $20.
Postage/handling
within the U.S. is $3 for the first copy and $1 per additional copy.
Outside
the U.S., postage is $3 for each copy. (All American Dialect Society
members
automatically received it as part of their membership benefits. What a
bargain -- membership for individuals is only $50 a year, starting with
2003, and for that you receive
PADS and four issues of American
Speech plus the newsletter. Check
out the ADS. )