This guide is designed to support the assignment of updating Raymond Williams' Keywords published in 1976.
To trace the evolution of terms since 1976, you need to consult several types of sources to establish:
1. Documenting the history of the English language
Use FRANCIS, the library catalog and use subjects such as:
2. Establishing meaning of terms
English Language Dictionaries
A large collection of print and online dictionaries are available in Sawyer and Schow. For a list, search FRANCIS for the subject English Language Dictionaries
Etymological Dictionaries
Trace the history of terms form their first appearance in the English language to the present. For a list, search FRANCIS for the subject Etymology English Language Dictionaries
The more comprehensive etymological dictionary of the English language is the Oxford English Dictionary Online. Make sure to use the Time Line feature)
Usage Dictionaries
List accepted contemporary use of terms and the evolution of usage (vs. the evolution of meaning in the OED).
Print resources:
Dictionary of Modern American usage
New York Times Manual of Style and Usage
Speaking Freely: A Guided Tour of American English
Online resources:
Credo Reference
Oxford Reference Online - Dictionaries and Thesaurus
Specialized Dictionaries and encyclopedias
Define words in the context of an academic field or discipline. For example:
A Critical Dictionary of Sociology
A Dictionary of Psychology
The Dictionary of Anthropology
Periodical Indexes
Print periodical indexes such as the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature and the New York Times Index are great indicators of linguistic trends. By comparing recent and older indexes, you may see how concepts have emerged in popular culture, how they have evolved and sometimes disappeared.
3. Usage of terms in specific contexts and environments
Recently published books
Use FRANCIS, the library catalog, to find recent books published about your keyword. Do a Subject Search for your keyword
To assess the quality of the books you find:
Newspapers and Magazines
Readers' Guide Abstracts
Index to popular magazines such as Newsweek.ProQuest National Newspapers (Current News)
Full text of leading U.S. newspapersProQuest International Newsstand
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe - News
Full text of English language international newspapers
Full-text of US and international news sources, including wires
Scholarly Journals
Use periodical indexes such as Sociological Abstracts to find scholarly articles. Each discipline has a core index. Complete list of periodicals indexes.
E-journals collections such as Project MUSE and JSTORare also useful to search across disciplines.
News broadcasts
Open web resources
Wikipedia
Click on the History tab to see the evolution of the annotation
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe - News