The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Engagingly and accessibly written and assumes no background knowledge
Covers the Old English period to 2011, using blogs and tweets to explore contemporary slang. Shows the reader how they can do the same
Includes a word index for the slang terms in the book

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Description

Bloody was once a shocking word. It was used largely by the working classes and caused their betters to shudder with horror. But Bloody isn't slang anymore in Britain, though it is still a swear-word. Everyone knows it, and most people use it, particularly when they're trying not to be offensive.

In The Life of Slang, Julie Coleman offers a fascinating portrait at an aspect of our language that is as slippery as it is lively--the ever-changing, protean world of slang. Ranging from Old English to the posts on Facebook and Twitter, Coleman shows why and how slang is used and how it has developed in English-speaking nations around the world. The records of court cases at London's Old Bailey and machine-searchable newspaper collections provide a wealth of new information about historical slang, while blogs and tweets provide us with a new perspective on contemporary slang. Coleman shows that slang can be quite difficult to pin down. Indeed, some words begin their life as slang, but then move on to the more dignified realm of standard English. Snide "insinuating, sneering" began as slang but is now considered standard use. Mortar-board "a hat worn at graduation" and tip "to give money in return for a service rendered" were both slang when they were first used. On the other hand, some words remain stubbornly slang. Pig has been slang for "police officers" since the beginning of the nineteenth century, and Buck "a dollar" has enjoyed slang status in the United States for a century and a half.

Vividly written and packed with fascinating observations on an ever-changing aspect of our language, The Life of Slang will delight all word mavens and is guaranteed to teach you some new words that you shouldn't use in polite company.

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

1. What is Slang?
2. Spawning Slang
3. Slang Development
4. Slang Survival and Metamorphosis
5. The Spread of Slang
6. The early History of English Canting and Flash Language
7. English Slang to the Twentieth Century
8. Early American Slang
9. The Beginnings of Other English Slangs
10. Slang in the Media and Entertainment Age
11. Slang in the Digital Age
12. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Explanatory Notes

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Author Information

Julie Coleman is Professor of English Language at the University of Leicester.

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

Reviews and Awards

The Life of Slang by Julie Coleman wears academic robes, but underneath it's only too willing to get down and dirty....enjoyable and succinct." --Robert McCrum, The Observer

"Completely fascinating... immensely enjoyable... Coleman's thinking lifts this book above the usual semi-disposable level of writing about rude words." --James McConnachie, The Sunday Times

"Coleman's book is an enjoyable, thorough look at the purposes and particulars of slang that should be required reading, especially for newcomers to the topic. This is a textbook textbook on slang." -- ThinkMap Visual Thesaurus

The Life of Slang

Julie Coleman

From Our Blog

Slang evolution = lush

In these videos, The Life of Slang author Julie Coleman tells us how -- and how fast -- slang can spread from one side of the globe to another, and gives us 26 ways of saying 'groovy'.

Posted on February 24, 2012

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Props to the cats ' the lifespan of slang

By Julie Coleman My students are mostly white, middle-class, and female, but their slang is heavily influenced by rap culture. They chillax with their bloods and homies, dissing the skanky hos, expressing props to the players and pimping up their whips. Comparison with hippy slang suggests that it's only a matter of time before they're not the only ones using these terms.

Posted on June 8, 2012

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