The Vulgar Tongue: Green's History of Slang

by Jonathon Green

Once the language of thieves and beggars, slang is an ever present part of today's culture for people across the strata. It allows us to connect to others, to express otherwise guarded thoughts, and to convey humor in the everyday. But how did slang escape its stigma as the language of the streets and integrate itself so seamlessly with "standard English?" The Vulgar Tongue tells the full story of English language slang, from its origins in early British beggar books to its spread in American and Australian culture in the eighteenth century. The aim is not to record the history of the over 125,000 English words that make up the lexis. Rather, the author focuses on the common, often profane themes that run through the word-list--crime, sex, bodily parts and functions, insults, and drink and drugs--and their scope and function throughout the various cultures and overlapping subcultures of English language history, from the sporting world to the university campus to ethnic communities. In tracing its development and trajectory throughout the English-speaking world, Jonathon Green offers an impassioned defence for its vitality, showing how slang has grown into a modern, versatile vocabulary that has nevertheless established its own role in contemporary English. Drawing on thirty years' worth of research, The Vulgar Tongue is a celebration of the words and phrases of an overlooked aspect of human language and interaction.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, History, Language

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

I am a lexicographer, that is a dictionary maker, specialising in slang, about which I have been compiling dictionaries, writing and broadcasting since 1984. I have also written a history of lexicography. After working on my university newspaper I joined the London ‘underground press’ in 1969, working for most of the then available titles, such as Friends, IT and Oz. I have been publishing books since the mid-1970s, spending the next decade putting together a number of dictionaries of quotations, before I moved into what remains my primary interest, slang. I have also published three oral histories: one on the hippie Sixties, one on first generation immigrants to the UK and one on the sexual revolution and its development. Among other non-slang titles have been three dictionaries of occupational jargon, a narrative history of the Sixties, a book on cannabis, and an encyclopedia of censorship. As a freelancer I have broadcast regularly on the radio, made appearances on TV, including a 30-minute study of slang in 1996, and and written columns both for academic journals and for the Erotic Review.

My slang work has reached its climax, but I trust not its end, with the publication in 2010 of Green’s Dictionary of Slang, a three volume, 6,200-page dictionary ‘on historical principles’ offering some 110,000 words and phrases, backed up by around 410,000 citations or usage examples. The book covers all anglophone countries and its timeline stretches from around 1500 up to the present day. For those who prefer something less academic, I published the Chambers Slang Dictionary, a single volume book, in 2008. Given that I am in no doubt that the future of reference publishing lies in digital form, it is my intention to place both these books on line in the near future.

Reviews

[❀Aimee❀ Just one more page...]

I really can't rate this.



I just couldn't finish it. I went into this excited and came out disappointed. The author knows his subject well. I tried to skim it and even that was just too detailed for me. 432 pages detailed, and every page in teeny tiny font.

This is perfect for those that study language for a living, but this is a niche book. If you are looking for a funny overview of the history of slang, this is not that book. This is a textbook for people studying the monotonous detailed minutiae of the etymology of swear words.

I didn't like it, but that is certainly not the author's fault. Perhaps the blurb could better reflect what this is and is not. I'm sure there are other books out there that fit someone like me, something with juicy tidbits from history that are interesting and funny to the common person. If you know of such a book, let me know. There's a swear shaped hole in my to read list now...

[Rowan MacBean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received THE VULGAR TONGUE: GREEN'S HISTORY OF SLANG as an ARC through netgalley.com.


I'm submitting this review before I finish this book, because I'm not sure if I ever will finish it. It's very informative but, at least in the first five chapters (the part I've read), it seems like it might be for readers for whom the study of linguistics is more than just a casual hobby. It might have been too informative for my level of interest, and that's not the book or the author's fault at all.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

history of prison slang, gay slang, war slang, and the best and longest bit: black slang through slavery, minstrelsy, jazz

[Jane]

This is more scholarly than I expected. It's like a textbook about slang. I skimmed along looking for interesting bits.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Sally Hannoush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for people who want to research information on slang, vocabulary, or language- both fiction and non-fiction use. The book has great overview and in-depth information on the word slang and the meanings behind it. I believe this is a subject that can be talked about in a circular manner and varies on who you ask. I felt this book gave good examples of terminology throughout time periods and history. I was surprised on the many different opinions based off of one word. This is heavy reading but also entertaining. I learned a lot of "slang" words/terms.

Warning: This book is for adults.