Black Americans have long contributed to the ways in which the English language is used, and now a new research project aims to compile the first Oxford Dictionary of African American English.

In April, the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary did something unusual. For the previous 20 years, they had issued quarterly updates to announce new words and meanings selected for inclusion.

Gija elder Shirley Purdie likes the naughty words in her ancient language. She admits they can be used to keep misbehaving children in line. ''Funny sort of words … a bit sweary … that say, 'you're no ...

Generations ago, most Canadian Inuit lived in small seasonal camps but, over the past 60 years, Inuit have settled into permanent towns, where traditional dialects intermingled and sometimes developed ...