Vulgar Tongues - An Alternative History of English Slang

Slang is the language of pop culture, low culture, street culture, underground movements and secret societies; depending on your point of view, it is a badge of honor, a sign of identity or a dangerous assault on the values of polite society. Of all the vocabularies available to us, slang is the most alive, constantly evolving and—as it leaks into the mainstream and is taken up by all of us—infusing the language with a healthy dose of vitality.


Witty, energetic and informative Vulgar Tongues traces the many routes of slang, beginning with the thieves and prostitutes of Elizabethan London and ending with the present day, where the centuries-old terms rap and hip-hop still survive, though their meanings have changed. On the way we will meet Dr. Johnson, World War II flying aces, pickpockets, schoolchildren, hardboiled private eyes, carnival geeks and the many eccentric characters who have tried to record slang throughout its checkered past.


If you’re curious about flapdragons and ale passion, the changing meanings of punk and geek, or how fly originated on the streets of eighteenth-century London and square in Masonic lodges, this is the book for you.

Argoul este limba culturii pop, a culturii joase, a culturii stradale, a miscarilor subterane si a societatilor secrete; in functie de punctul dvs. de vedere, este o insigna de onoare, un semn de identitate sau un asalt periculos asupra valorilor societatii politicoase. Dintre toate vocabularele disponibile, argoul este cel mai viu, in continua evolutie si - pe masura ce se scurge in mainstream si este preluat de noi toti - infuzand limbajul cu o doza sanatoasa de vitalitate. Limbi vulgare ingenioase, energice si informative urmareste numeroasele cai de argou, incepand cu hotii si prostituatele din Londra elizabetana si terminand cu zilele noastre, unde termenii seculari rap si hip-hop inca supravietuiesc, desi semnificatiile lor s-au schimbat.