Semantic Change in African American Slang

Widawski, Maciej

doi:10.2478/stap-2013-0002

Abstract

Semantic change is an important part of African American slang and involves two mechanisms: figuration and shifting. Both are enormously productive and account for numerous slang expressions based on standard English. This paper presents these processes in detail. Partially drawing from the author’s earlier publications, the presentation is based on lexical material from a sizable database of citations from contemporary African American sources collected through extensive fieldwork in the United States in recent years.

References

Algeo, John (ed.) 2001 The Cambridge history of the English language. Vol. VI. English in North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 10.1017/CHOL9780521264792
Search in Google Scholar
Baugh, John 1983 Black Street Speech: Its history, structure, and survival. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press
Search in Google Scholar
Brasch, Walther 1981 Black English and the mass media. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press
Search in Google Scholar
Chapman, Robert (ed.) 1986 New dictionary of American slang.(2nd ed.). New York, NY: Harper and Row
Search in Google Scholar
Dillard, Joey Lee 1977 Lexicon of Black English. New York, NY: Seabury Press
Search in Google Scholar
Dumas, Bethany - Jonathan Lighter 1978 “Is slang a word for linguists?” American Speech. Vol. 53.10.2307/455336
Search in Google Scholar
Eble, Connie 1996 Slang and sociability. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press
Search in Google Scholar
Flexner, Stuart Berg 1986 “American Slang”, in: Robert Chapman (ed.) New dictionary of American slang. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Search in Google Scholar
Folb, Edith 1980 Runnin’ down some lines: The language and culture of black teenagers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press 10.4159/harvard.9780674189362
Search in Google Scholar
Kipfer, Barbara (ed.) 2007 Dictionary of American slang (4th ed.). New York, NY: HarperCollins
Search in Google Scholar
Lakoff George - Mark Johnson 1980 Metaphors we live by. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press
Search in Google Scholar
Lighter, Jonathan 2001 “Slang.” In John Algeo (ed.) The Cambridge history of the English language. Vol. VI. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 219-252.10.1017/CHOL9780521264792.007
Search in Google Scholar
Major, Clarence 1994 From Juba to jive: A dictionary of African American slang. New York, NY: Penguin Books
Search in Google Scholar
Mesthrie, Rajend 2001 Concise encyclopedia of sociolinguistics. Kidlington, Oxford: Elsevier Science
Search in Google Scholar
Rickford, John 1999 African American Vernacular English: Features, evolution, educational implications. New York, NY: Blackwell
Search in Google Scholar
Smitherman, Geneva 1977 Talkin and testifyin: The language of Black America. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press
Search in Google Scholar
Smitherman, Geneva 2000 Black talk: Words and phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin
Search in Google Scholar
Thorne, Tony (ed.) 1990 Bloomsbury dictionary of slang. London: Bloomsbury Publishing
Search in Google Scholar
Widawski, Maciej (forthcoming) African American: A linguistic description.
Search in Google Scholar
Widawski, Maciej - Małgorzata Kowalczyk 2012 Black Lexicon. Gdańsk: University of Gdańsk Press.
Search in Google Scholar

Semantic Change in African American Slang

Abstract

Paradigm

My account