One of the main aims of Examining the OED is to study the quotations in the Dictionary. As we say elsewhere on the site, the quotations in OED are 'the basis of its claim to scholarly and historical authority' and 'play a crucial role in the OED, identifying the authorised users of the language and the connotations and nuances of the way words are actually used'.

Can we investigate this role in more detail? What should we expect of the quotations in OED and how have the lexicographers selected and made use of them? The material in this part of the site, which is under construction, explores some of the main issues relating to quotation selection and quotation function in the OED.

Cross-references to sections which are as yet unpublished are indicated by an asterisk (*). Please let us know if you find errors or inconsistencies.