But even here, it would also have been nice to consider, at least briefly, the role of slang in languages other than English.
He is on firmer ground when it comes to summarising the history of slang lexicography, as you might expect. But in fact, very few real examples are adduced, which leaves Green's arguments rather floating in the ether. Hella is another interesting case study which doesn't get a look-in – and that would be fine, if other case studies were used instead.
He doesn't mention, for example, the crazy proliferation of grammatical uses for a word such as like, which can now be intensifying ( I was, like, wasted) or approximating ( It cost me like twenty quid) or introductory ( Like, how are you?) or any number of other things. Slang is the one register of English that regularly uses infixes – as in absofuckinglutely – which, again, Green refers to in a throwaway comment but doesn't follow up on. I also wonder if more might not have been said about grammatical issues.
(The same could be said for the way he discusses black American slang in terms of slang's ‘natural’ racism, or Polari and other gay slang vs. It's particularly odd when so much slang nowadays is generated through social media, which is dominated by young women – and Green refers to this, but he seems to see it as a sort of exception that proves the rule, rather than a reason to expand the whole concept of what ‘slang’ represents. Naturally slang includes much that can be described in these terms – but everything? Is there really anything racist or sexist in describing hair as a barnet, knocking back a bevvy, or calling something awesomesauce on Twitter? He describes slang as uniformly ‘racist, homophobic, and, of course, both sexist and misogynistic’, a register whose ‘male, heterosexual gaze is unflinching’. He spends a lot of time talking vaguely about how slang should be defined (an entire chapter on the etymology of the word ‘slang’! Which is unknown!) and where it might be going, and not enough looking at specific examples in their social context.Ī few of his characterisations puzzled me. It's perhaps a case of being too close to the trees to see the morning wood. A few of his c Given Jonathon Green's status in the field – his three-volume Dictionary of Slang is far and away the definitive one in English – this overview is disappointing. He spends a lot of time talking vaguely about how slang should be defined (an entire chapter on the etymology of the word ‘slang’! Which is unknown!) and where it might be going, and not enough looking at specific examples in their social context. Given Jonathon Green's status in the field – his three-volume Dictionary of Slang is far and away the definitive one in English – this overview is disappointing. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.more These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly.
Jonathan green dictionary of slang series#
It considers the meaning and origins of the word 'slang' itself, the ideas that a make a word 'slang', the long-running themes that run through slang, and the history of slang's many dictionaries.ĪBOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. This Very Short Introduction takes readers on a wide-ranging tour of this fascinating sub-set of the English language. It has been recorded since at least 1500 AD, and today's vocabulary, taken from every major English-speaking country, runs to over 125,000 slang words and phrases.
It is used widely and often, typically associated with the writers of noir fiction, teenagers, and rappers, but also found in the works of Shakespeare and Dickens. It has been recorded since at least 1500 AD, and today's vocabulary, taken from every major English-speaking country, runs to over 125,000 slang words an Slang, however one judges it, shows us at our most human. View, however one judges it, shows us at our most human.Please read my Privacy Policy to find out how this information is stored and used. When you follow my blog, WordPress stores certain information such as your gravatar, name, email address, etc. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.