The WWP and the Oxford English Dictionary

The collaboration between the Women Writers Project and the Oxford English Dictionary dates back to 1995, when the OED received a copy of the WWP textbase and began using it along with other major text corpora in their research. The effect of this inclusion will be to increase the representation of women's writing in the OED, and thereby the recognition of women's role in the development of the English language.

Since that time, the WWP and OED have worked closely together identifying words from the WWP textbase to be added to the OED. These new citations will begin appearing in the revisions to the second edition which will be released at regular intervals until the third edition is published in 2010. These citations include new, unknown words; usages which illustrate previously undocumented meanings; and citations which represent the earliest known use for that word. In all, the WWP has thus far contributed over 800 citations for the letters M through R.

The WWP has also helped review early models of the new online OED now in development.

For a closer look at our work with the OED, see "Senses of Sexual in the Women Writers Project Textbase", WWP Newsletter 2:3 (1996), by Jacque Russom and John Lavagnino.