| Based on the acclaimed ''Oxford Companion to the English Language'', this is the most compact, [[authoritative]], and up-to-date source of [[information]] about the [[English]] [[language]]. With contributions from more than 130 experts worldwide, the language is viewed from an international perspective, covering [[Cockney]] to [[Creole]], [[Aboriginal]] English to South Asian English. The historical range of the work is large - [[Beowulf]] rubs shoulders with [[Ebonics]], [[Chaucer]] sits alongside [[Chomsky]], [[Latin]], and the [[World Wide Web]]. Substantial entries are given on key subjects such as American and British differences, computing, [[etymology]], [[pidgin]], [[poetry]], [[sexism]], [[Shakespeare]]'s language, and [[slang]]. Features include pieces on place-names, borrowings from other languages, the [[evolution]] of the [[alphabet]], and the story of the expression 'OK'. | | Based on the acclaimed ''Oxford Companion to the English Language'', this is the most compact, [[authoritative]], and up-to-date source of [[information]] about the [[English]] [[language]]. With contributions from more than 130 experts worldwide, the language is viewed from an international perspective, covering [[Cockney]] to [[Creole]], [[Aboriginal]] English to South Asian English. The historical range of the work is large - [[Beowulf]] rubs shoulders with [[Ebonics]], [[Chaucer]] sits alongside [[Chomsky]], [[Latin]], and the [[World Wide Web]]. Substantial entries are given on key subjects such as American and British differences, computing, [[etymology]], [[pidgin]], [[poetry]], [[sexism]], [[Shakespeare]]'s language, and [[slang]]. Features include pieces on place-names, borrowings from other languages, the [[evolution]] of the [[alphabet]], and the story of the expression 'OK'. |