An Electronic Dictionary of Contemporary American Slang

The aim of this study is to create a pilot version of the electronic dictionary of contemporary American slang. The object of this study is the American slang. Tools, methods and abilities of computational lexicography which can be used for development of electronic dictionaries are the subject of this study. Urban Dictionary (The online dictionary of American slang) is used as the main source for selection of American slang. The theoretical significance of the work is that it highlights problems of modern lexicography and slang classification, as well as questions of development and use of electronic dictionaries. The practical importance of the study is determined by the fact that this linguistic application can be used by various groups of people, from translators to anyone interested in learning or teaching English. The dictionary might also make contribution to the field of bilingual lexicography. The final result of this paper is a successfully functioning electronic DSL dictionary of American slang, which contains over 200 definitions. The dictionary is available for free download from the Internet.