Library Research Guides: COGNITIVE &amp; LINGUISTIC SCIENCES: Find Background Information

Why Use Reference Materials?

for a quick overview of a topic

to develop vocabulary or keywords for searching

for suggestions for further sources

Ethnologue is a detailed resource with information on the world's 7000-plus languages.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Search 500+ reference works in all disciplines
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Fully-indexed, extensively linked, up to date, and cross-searchable dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Search across encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books.
Sage Knowledge Online This link opens in a new window
Search across more than 100 encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works.

Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) This link opens in a new window
Discover the full panoply of American regional words, phrases, and pronunciations with DARE. This digital edition of the respected usage dictionary features audio, interactive maps, and insights into the DARE Survey.

Language: A Feminist Guide
This is a feminist blog about language (in fact, mostly the English language), written by a feminist who’s also a linguist.
Enduring Voices YouTube Channel
Offers videos of native speakers and musicians of endangered languages.
World Oral Literature Project
The World Oral Literature Project is an urgent global initiative to document and disseminate endangered oral literatures before they disappear without record. The Project supports local communities and committed fieldworkers engaged in the collection and preservation of all forms of oral literature by providing funding for original research, alongside training in fieldwork and digital archiving methods.
Endangered Languages Project
Includes an interactive map of endangered languages, language samples, and other resources.