Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0014
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
The conclusion draws together trends observed in the dictionaries discussed, noting particularly the difference in perspective between British historical dictionaries and American contemporary ...
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The conclusion draws together trends observed in the dictionaries discussed, noting particularly the difference in perspective between British historical dictionaries and American contemporary dictionaries. In Britain, Australia, and the United States slang had a different social meaning, and this is reflected in the dictionaries. The Conclusion also summarizes developments in slang lexicography and looks forward to developments to be discussed in Volume IV of the series.Less
The conclusion draws together trends observed in the dictionaries discussed, noting particularly the difference in perspective between British historical dictionaries and American contemporary dictionaries. In Britain, Australia, and the United States slang had a different social meaning, and this is reflected in the dictionaries. The Conclusion also summarizes developments in slang lexicography and looks forward to developments to be discussed in Volume IV of the series.
Coleman Julie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567256
- eISBN:
- 9780191595073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567256.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
Putting aside Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, rhyming slang dominates the production of British slang glossaries during this period. The dictionaries are often nostalgic ...
More
Putting aside Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, rhyming slang dominates the production of British slang glossaries during this period. The dictionaries are often nostalgic accounts of simpler times, and use humour to express anxieties about issues such as immigration and women's liberation. Links between rhyming slang and the entertainment industries are clear in several of the glossaries produced.Less
Putting aside Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, rhyming slang dominates the production of British slang glossaries during this period. The dictionaries are often nostalgic accounts of simpler times, and use humour to express anxieties about issues such as immigration and women's liberation. Links between rhyming slang and the entertainment industries are clear in several of the glossaries produced.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This book provides a survey of dictionaries of slang and cant (the language of thieves and beggars) in the period 1859-1936. It covers Britain, American, Australia, India, and other countries then ...
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This book provides a survey of dictionaries of slang and cant (the language of thieves and beggars) in the period 1859-1936. It covers Britain, American, Australia, India, and other countries then part of the British Empire. Dictionaries by Hotten and Farmer and Henley are covered in particular detail. By the end of the period, war, the Depression, and prohibition all played a vital role in determining what type of dictionaries were being produced.Less
This book provides a survey of dictionaries of slang and cant (the language of thieves and beggars) in the period 1859-1936. It covers Britain, American, Australia, India, and other countries then part of the British Empire. Dictionaries by Hotten and Farmer and Henley are covered in particular detail. By the end of the period, war, the Depression, and prohibition all played a vital role in determining what type of dictionaries were being produced.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
The Introduction explains some of the terms used in the study, explains the principles underlying the selection of dictionaries, and summarizes the scope of each chapter. It then provides an account ...
More
The Introduction explains some of the terms used in the study, explains the principles underlying the selection of dictionaries, and summarizes the scope of each chapter. It then provides an account of the historical setting for the late 19th-century dictionaries of British slang.Less
The Introduction explains some of the terms used in the study, explains the principles underlying the selection of dictionaries, and summarizes the scope of each chapter. It then provides an account of the historical setting for the late 19th-century dictionaries of British slang.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter examines John Camden Hotten's Slang Dictionary, which was published in five volumes between 1859-1874, and republished thereafter for many years. Hotten's was a dictionary of the people ...
More
This chapter examines John Camden Hotten's Slang Dictionary, which was published in five volumes between 1859-1874, and republished thereafter for many years. Hotten's was a dictionary of the people for the people. It is still frequently used for reference, but its contents are often unreliable, particularly the etymologies.Less
This chapter examines John Camden Hotten's Slang Dictionary, which was published in five volumes between 1859-1874, and republished thereafter for many years. Hotten's was a dictionary of the people for the people. It is still frequently used for reference, but its contents are often unreliable, particularly the etymologies.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter examines three dictionaries combining English slang with other languages and slangs. Baumann's Londinismen presents English slang to a German-speaking audience; Barrère's Argot and Slang ...
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This chapter examines three dictionaries combining English slang with other languages and slangs. Baumann's Londinismen presents English slang to a German-speaking audience; Barrère's Argot and Slang presents French slang for an English-speaking audience, with English slang synonyms; Barrère and Leland's Dictionary of Slang, Jargon and Cant attempts to cover American and Australian slang as well as British.Less
This chapter examines three dictionaries combining English slang with other languages and slangs. Baumann's Londinismen presents English slang to a German-speaking audience; Barrère's Argot and Slang presents French slang for an English-speaking audience, with English slang synonyms; Barrère and Leland's Dictionary of Slang, Jargon and Cant attempts to cover American and Australian slang as well as British.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter examines Farmer and Henley's seven volume Slang and its Analogues, a historical dictionary intended to complement the Oxford English Dictionary in part by defining terms that that volume ...
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This chapter examines Farmer and Henley's seven volume Slang and its Analogues, a historical dictionary intended to complement the Oxford English Dictionary in part by defining terms that that volume was not allowed to include. The chapter concentrates particularly on their changing methodology as the dictionary progressed.Less
This chapter examines Farmer and Henley's seven volume Slang and its Analogues, a historical dictionary intended to complement the Oxford English Dictionary in part by defining terms that that volume was not allowed to include. The chapter concentrates particularly on their changing methodology as the dictionary progressed.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter examines other British slang dictionaries of the period. Some dictionaries explain British slang to an American audience and others look back on the slang of bygone times. Several are ...
More
This chapter examines other British slang dictionaries of the period. Some dictionaries explain British slang to an American audience and others look back on the slang of bygone times. Several are derived from or intended to supplement Farmer and Henley. They include the first dictionary of rhyming slang.Less
This chapter examines other British slang dictionaries of the period. Some dictionaries explain British slang to an American audience and others look back on the slang of bygone times. Several are derived from or intended to supplement Farmer and Henley. They include the first dictionary of rhyming slang.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter examines British school and college slang dictionaries of the period. These are largely of the long-established public schools and ancient universities such as Eton and Winchester, and ...
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This chapter examines British school and college slang dictionaries of the period. These are largely of the long-established public schools and ancient universities such as Eton and Winchester, and have sometimes been looked at in isolation with reference to those institutions; however, they are part of a general trend.Less
This chapter examines British school and college slang dictionaries of the period. These are largely of the long-established public schools and ancient universities such as Eton and Winchester, and have sometimes been looked at in isolation with reference to those institutions; however, they are part of a general trend.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter examines American college slang dictionaries such as those of Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. These are less nostalgic than the British equivalents, and tend to embrace the present. They ...
More
This chapter examines American college slang dictionaries such as those of Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. These are less nostalgic than the British equivalents, and tend to embrace the present. They appear to have played a role in distinguishing the numerous colleges' individual identities.Less
This chapter examines American college slang dictionaries such as those of Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. These are less nostalgic than the British equivalents, and tend to embrace the present. They appear to have played a role in distinguishing the numerous colleges' individual identities.
Edwin L. Battistella
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195172485
- eISBN:
- 9780199788187
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172485.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Are pronunciations such as cawfee and chawklit bad English? Is slang improper? Is it incorrect to mix English and Spanish, as in Yo quiero Taco Bell? Can you write “Who do you trust?” rather than ...
More
Are pronunciations such as cawfee and chawklit bad English? Is slang improper? Is it incorrect to mix English and Spanish, as in Yo quiero Taco Bell? Can you write “Who do you trust?” rather than “Whom do you trust?” This book looks at traditional notions of bad language and argues that they are often based in sterile conventionality. Examining grammar and style, cursing, slang, political correctness, regional dialects, ethnic dialects, foreign accents, and language mixing, this book discusses the strong feelings evoked by language variation, from objections to pronunciation, to complaints about bilingual education. It explains the natural desire for uniformity in writing and speaking, and traces the association of mainstream norms to ideas about refinement, intelligence, education, character, national unity, and political values. The book argues that none of these qualities is inherently connected to language. It is tempting but wrong to think of slang, dialects, and nonstandard grammar as simply breaking the rules of good English. Instead, we should view language as made up of alternative forms of orderliness adopted by speakers depending on their purpose. Thus, we can study the structure and context of nonstandard language in order to illuminate and enrich traditional forms of language, and make policy decisions based on an informed engagement.Less
Are pronunciations such as cawfee and chawklit bad English? Is slang improper? Is it incorrect to mix English and Spanish, as in Yo quiero Taco Bell? Can you write “Who do you trust?” rather than “Whom do you trust?” This book looks at traditional notions of bad language and argues that they are often based in sterile conventionality. Examining grammar and style, cursing, slang, political correctness, regional dialects, ethnic dialects, foreign accents, and language mixing, this book discusses the strong feelings evoked by language variation, from objections to pronunciation, to complaints about bilingual education. It explains the natural desire for uniformity in writing and speaking, and traces the association of mainstream norms to ideas about refinement, intelligence, education, character, national unity, and political values. The book argues that none of these qualities is inherently connected to language. It is tempting but wrong to think of slang, dialects, and nonstandard grammar as simply breaking the rules of good English. Instead, we should view language as made up of alternative forms of orderliness adopted by speakers depending on their purpose. Thus, we can study the structure and context of nonstandard language in order to illuminate and enrich traditional forms of language, and make policy decisions based on an informed engagement.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0012
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter looks at dictionaries of cant. In other words, dictionaries of criminal language, bringing together glossaries from the farthest corners of the English-speaking world. Several of these ...
More
This chapter looks at dictionaries of cant. In other words, dictionaries of criminal language, bringing together glossaries from the farthest corners of the English-speaking world. Several of these offer help to the police in detecting and detaining criminals. They offer a new insight into the glamorized world of the gangsters and speakeasies.Less
This chapter looks at dictionaries of cant. In other words, dictionaries of criminal language, bringing together glossaries from the farthest corners of the English-speaking world. Several of these offer help to the police in detecting and detaining criminals. They offer a new insight into the glamorized world of the gangsters and speakeasies.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549375
- eISBN:
- 9780191720772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549375.003.0013
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
This chapter draws together glossaries dealing with the slang of various branches of the entertainment industry: the circus, carnival, and stage. Later glossaries deal with the slang of swing, which ...
More
This chapter draws together glossaries dealing with the slang of various branches of the entertainment industry: the circus, carnival, and stage. Later glossaries deal with the slang of swing, which introduces the relationship between popular music and slang and particularly the influence of African-Americans on slang that is to be so evident in the next volume.Less
This chapter draws together glossaries dealing with the slang of various branches of the entertainment industry: the circus, carnival, and stage. Later glossaries deal with the slang of swing, which introduces the relationship between popular music and slang and particularly the influence of African-Americans on slang that is to be so evident in the next volume.
Mary Bucholtz
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195327359
- eISBN:
- 9780199870639
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327359.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
The chapter considers the different ways in which Southeast Asian American youth may use local varieties of English to negotiate ideologies of race and Asianness in the production of identity. Based ...
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The chapter considers the different ways in which Southeast Asian American youth may use local varieties of English to negotiate ideologies of race and Asianness in the production of identity. Based on a year of ethnographic fieldwork in an ethnoracially diverse California high school, the chapter shows how two high school girls, both refugees from Laos, navigate conflicting ideologies of Asian immigrant youth as model minorities on the one hand and as dangerous gangsters on the other. Each girl's style was produced linguistically neither in their native language nor in an ethnically distinctive “Asian American English” but through a positive or negative orientation to the linguistic resources of African American Vernacular English and youth slang. The vast diversity of Asian Americans as a panethnic category and the complexity of their identity practices and performances demands richer and more contextually nuanced theorizing of the relationship between language and identity.Less
The chapter considers the different ways in which Southeast Asian American youth may use local varieties of English to negotiate ideologies of race and Asianness in the production of identity. Based on a year of ethnographic fieldwork in an ethnoracially diverse California high school, the chapter shows how two high school girls, both refugees from Laos, navigate conflicting ideologies of Asian immigrant youth as model minorities on the one hand and as dangerous gangsters on the other. Each girl's style was produced linguistically neither in their native language nor in an ethnically distinctive “Asian American English” but through a positive or negative orientation to the linguistic resources of African American Vernacular English and youth slang. The vast diversity of Asian Americans as a panethnic category and the complexity of their identity practices and performances demands richer and more contextually nuanced theorizing of the relationship between language and identity.
Julie Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567256
- eISBN:
- 9780191595073
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567256.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
Although there are continuities with earlier slang lexicography, particularly in the work of Eric Partridge, the period covered by this volume sees a number of marked social and lexicographical ...
More
Although there are continuities with earlier slang lexicography, particularly in the work of Eric Partridge, the period covered by this volume sees a number of marked social and lexicographical changes. The post-war cultural dominance of the United States is evident throughout, as is the influence of African‐American music and language. Slang dictionaries also document attempts by Britain and its colonies to (re)define their sense of national identity. Musical and cultural trends each produced their own characteristic slang, which was manipulated by commercial interests to target the youth market. Homosexual slang was documented first as a diagnostic tool for psychiatrists, but later became an expression of gay pride. Attempts to associate homosexuality with communism label gay rights as a significant threat to the structure of society. Drugs were another threat that became dominant in this period, and the punitive response saw a rapidly increasing prison population. Dictionaries of crime during this period tend to concentrate on the language used inside prisons rather than by criminals at large. But slang is not just for left-wingers. British dictionaries of rhyming slang and dictionaries of Australian slang both express anxieties about immigration through their attempts to construct a working‐class national identity. Right-wing pressure groups in the United States produced dictionaries of slang to reveal the threat represented by homosexuality and rock music. The biggest backlash is found in the numerous dictionaries of CB radio, which allowed blue‐collar white southerners to reconstruct themselves as freedom‐fighting urban cowboys.Less
Although there are continuities with earlier slang lexicography, particularly in the work of Eric Partridge, the period covered by this volume sees a number of marked social and lexicographical changes. The post-war cultural dominance of the United States is evident throughout, as is the influence of African‐American music and language. Slang dictionaries also document attempts by Britain and its colonies to (re)define their sense of national identity. Musical and cultural trends each produced their own characteristic slang, which was manipulated by commercial interests to target the youth market. Homosexual slang was documented first as a diagnostic tool for psychiatrists, but later became an expression of gay pride. Attempts to associate homosexuality with communism label gay rights as a significant threat to the structure of society. Drugs were another threat that became dominant in this period, and the punitive response saw a rapidly increasing prison population. Dictionaries of crime during this period tend to concentrate on the language used inside prisons rather than by criminals at large. But slang is not just for left-wingers. British dictionaries of rhyming slang and dictionaries of Australian slang both express anxieties about immigration through their attempts to construct a working‐class national identity. Right-wing pressure groups in the United States produced dictionaries of slang to reveal the threat represented by homosexuality and rock music. The biggest backlash is found in the numerous dictionaries of CB radio, which allowed blue‐collar white southerners to reconstruct themselves as freedom‐fighting urban cowboys.
Edwin L. Battistella
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195172485
- eISBN:
- 9780199788187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172485.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter explores the relativity of vocabulary choice. Its main goals are both to examine how some words are bad, and to reinforce the view that effective usage is less a matter of permanent ...
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This chapter explores the relativity of vocabulary choice. Its main goals are both to examine how some words are bad, and to reinforce the view that effective usage is less a matter of permanent fixed traditions than it is a matter of flexible and contextual conventions. Topics discussed include cursing in the media and the arts, offensive language, bad words as social construction, slang as bad language, and political correctness.Less
This chapter explores the relativity of vocabulary choice. Its main goals are both to examine how some words are bad, and to reinforce the view that effective usage is less a matter of permanent fixed traditions than it is a matter of flexible and contextual conventions. Topics discussed include cursing in the media and the arts, offensive language, bad words as social construction, slang as bad language, and political correctness.
Coleman Julie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567256
- eISBN:
- 9780191595073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567256.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
The earliest glossaries of gay slang were produced by psychiatrists trying to improve communication with their patients or to develop a diagnostic tool. Later glossaries offer keys to the secret ...
More
The earliest glossaries of gay slang were produced by psychiatrists trying to improve communication with their patients or to develop a diagnostic tool. Later glossaries offer keys to the secret world of homosexuality and defy convention in celebrating gay love. Demonized by Cold War associations with communism, users of gay slang are also depicted as agents of the anti-Christ by right-wing Christian fundamentalists.Less
The earliest glossaries of gay slang were produced by psychiatrists trying to improve communication with their patients or to develop a diagnostic tool. Later glossaries offer keys to the secret world of homosexuality and defy convention in celebrating gay love. Demonized by Cold War associations with communism, users of gay slang are also depicted as agents of the anti-Christ by right-wing Christian fundamentalists.
Coleman Julie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567256
- eISBN:
- 9780191595073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567256.003.0011
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
In part fed by developments in youth culture, drug-taking became another major cause for concern during this period, and glossaries were produced for the use of various professional groups dealing ...
More
In part fed by developments in youth culture, drug-taking became another major cause for concern during this period, and glossaries were produced for the use of various professional groups dealing with drug-users. Glossaries in this chapter engage in the debate about whether drug-users should be treated as victims or as criminals.Less
In part fed by developments in youth culture, drug-taking became another major cause for concern during this period, and glossaries were produced for the use of various professional groups dealing with drug-users. Glossaries in this chapter engage in the debate about whether drug-users should be treated as victims or as criminals.
Coleman Julie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567256
- eISBN:
- 9780191595073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567256.003.0012
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
Unlike glossaries from earlier periods, these concentrate on the language used by criminals inside prison. Stripped of their glamour, criminals are revealed as either brutal and thuggish or deserving ...
More
Unlike glossaries from earlier periods, these concentrate on the language used by criminals inside prison. Stripped of their glamour, criminals are revealed as either brutal and thuggish or deserving of pity. The disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans is evident in vocabulary overlaps with Chapter 7. The language of lesbians is better represented here than in Chapter 9.Less
Unlike glossaries from earlier periods, these concentrate on the language used by criminals inside prison. Stripped of their glamour, criminals are revealed as either brutal and thuggish or deserving of pity. The disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans is evident in vocabulary overlaps with Chapter 7. The language of lesbians is better represented here than in Chapter 9.
Coleman Julie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567256
- eISBN:
- 9780191595073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567256.003.0013
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Lexicography
A short-lived craze for CB radio in the United States spawned a plethora of poor quality dictionaries whose appeal is not explained by their contents. CB radio allowed white blue-collar males, ...
More
A short-lived craze for CB radio in the United States spawned a plethora of poor quality dictionaries whose appeal is not explained by their contents. CB radio allowed white blue-collar males, beleaguered by the liberation of women, gay men, and African-Americans, to redefine themselves as urban cowboys and rebels. CB radio also presented an early version of the virtual community in which individuals can role-play with like-minded strangers. The earliest dictionary of computer slang is also included in this chapter.Less
A short-lived craze for CB radio in the United States spawned a plethora of poor quality dictionaries whose appeal is not explained by their contents. CB radio allowed white blue-collar males, beleaguered by the liberation of women, gay men, and African-Americans, to redefine themselves as urban cowboys and rebels. CB radio also presented an early version of the virtual community in which individuals can role-play with like-minded strangers. The earliest dictionary of computer slang is also included in this chapter.