DAREAND REGIONAL AMERICAN LEXICOGRAPHY

Abstract

The recent completion of the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) makes timely an assessment of its achievements and the implications for pursuing regional dictionaries of American English. Using the author’s forthcoming Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English, this article explores how DARE’s practices can instruct a regional dictionary in evaluating sources and incorporating material from three indispensable domains: the library, the field, and the mind. In illustrating lessons learned and new practices developed, the article shows how DARE, far from being the culminating work in the field, creates opportunities for smaller-scale works to benefit from its practices.