Phat [was Re: gay/ghey/ghay]

[Baker, John]

        I think that the last time around, the majority view, which I found convincing, was that words such as "fuck" were not in fact slang.  Consider the AHD4 definition of "slang":

        <<NOUN: 1. A kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect. 2. Language peculiar to a group; argot or jargon: thieves' slang.>>

        "Fuck" doesn't really fit either of these definitions, even though AHD4 and other dictionaries do label it as slang.

        I do agree with Jonathon that he should consider it within his purview.  It is part of "the vulgar tongue," and readers expect to find such terms in a dictionary of slang.

John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of Jesse Sheidlower
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 10:52 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Phat [was Re: gay/ghey/ghay]


I also agree that "fuck" is slang, and not pseudo-slang; we've
discussed this before.

Jesse Sheidlower
OED