The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.
2000.
Regional Notes.
Regional Notes. This Dictionary contains hundreds of words and meanings whose occurrence is restricted to certain areas of the United States. While many of these terms are not used in Standard contexts, they give our language much of its vitality and character. For a discussion of the history and current status of American dialects, see Lee Pederson's essay “Regional Patterns of American Speech.”
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Many entries contain Regional Notes explaining in detail a point of dialect. For example, the word dragonfly is widespread in American English, but dialect terms for the insect abound. These dialect terms, listed at the entry for dragonfly, are discussed in the Regional Note at the end of that entry. The entries discussed in Regional Notes are fully cross-referenced.
