The Very Short Introductions Podcast Slang – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 36
Oct 14, 2021
Jonathon Green, a leading lexicographer and author, shares insights from his 40 years of slang scholarship. He explores slang's historical roots and its position as a counterlanguage that challenges social norms. Discover how secrecy drives the creation of thousands of synonyms, particularly around themes like crime and sex. Green also delves into slang's negative reputation influenced by class and gender biases, urging listeners to appreciate its rich cultural value as a reflection of genuine human experience.
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Four Decades Cataloguing Slang
- Jonathan Green has compiled slang lexicons for around 40 years with extensive citations.
- His online resource now lists just under 145,000 words and phrases backed by over 610,000 citations.
Slang As Subversive Subset Of English
- Slang is a subset of English defined by shameless subversion rather than formal rules.
- Jonathan Green compares it to Freud's id: unrestrained, boundary-pushing expression.
Massive Synonymy Driven By Secrecy
- Slang functions mostly as a dense collection of synonyms for a narrow set of human themes.
- Green highlights huge synonym counts for crime, sex, drink and drugs reflecting social focus and secrecy.
