Slang and Society Slang derives much of its power from the fact that it is clandestine, forbidden or generally disapproved of. So what happens once it is accepted, even in some cases embraced and promoted by ‘mainstream’ society? Not long ago the Oxford English Dictionary characterised slang as ‘low and disreputable’; in the late 1970s the pioneering sociolinguist Michael Halliday used the phrase ‘anti-language’ in his study of the speech of criminals and marginals. For him, theirs was an interestingly ‘pathological’ form of language. The first description now sounds quaintly outmoded, while the second could be applied to street gangs – today’s posses, massives or sets – and their secret codes | DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY SLANG THIRD EDITION TONY THORNE A C Black London First published in Great Britain 1990 Paperback published 1991 Second edition published 1997 Paperback published 1999 Third edition published 2005 This paperback edition published 2007 A C Black Publishers Ltd 38 Soho Square London W1D 3HB Tony Thorne 1990 1997 2005 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the permission of the publishers. A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN-10 0 7136 7529 2 ISBN-13 978 0 7136 7592 0 eISBN-13 978-1-4081-0220-6 Text production and proofreading Heather Bateman Emma Harris Katy McAdam Rebecca McKee This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed sustainable forests. It is natural renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. Text typeset by A C Black Publishers Printed in Spain by GraphyCems INTRODUCTION SLANG IN THE 21ST CENTURY Slang and Society Slang derives much of its power from the fact that it is clandestine forbidden or generally disapproved of. So what happens once it is accepted even in some cases embraced and promoted by mainstream society Not long ago the Oxford English Dictionary characterised slang as low and disreputable in the late 1970s the pioneering sociolinguist Michael Halliday used the phrase anti-language in his study of the speech of criminals and marginals. For him theirs was an interestingly pathological form of language. The first description now sounds quaintly outmoded while the second could be applied to street gangs - today s posses massives or sets - and their secret codes. Both however involve value judgements which are essentially social and not linguistic. Attitudes to the use of language have changed profoundly over the last three decades and the perceived
