Slang as something other than language

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Dec 5, 2008, at 8:28 AM, Larry Horn wrote:

> At 9:41 AM -0500 12/5/08, Grant Barrett wrote:
>>
>> ... 2008 MSNBC (Dec. 4) Andy Dehnart "'For the Record,' Britney
>> reveals
>> very little" <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27931958/>: Britney insists
>> she is "a very private person" and later says, "I used to be a cool
>> chick, you know? And I feel like the paparazzi has taken my whole
>> cool
>> slang away from me...
>
> Interesting too that she seems to use "paparazzi" as a mass term (I
> assume it's not just one paparzzo she's disturbed by)...

that would take "paparazzi" down the route that "media" followed some
time ago.

the most common treatment of "paparazzi" is not massification, but use
as a singular count noun (as well as a plural): many many occurrences
of "a/one paparazzi" as well as "this paparazzi" 'this paparazzo'.

arnold

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