Vulgar Tongues: An Alternative History of English Slang

By Max Décharné

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 honour, a sign of identity or a dangerous assault on the values of polite society.

Over several centuries and across international borders, VULGAR TONGUES is the story of how the English language of Shakespeare's day fragmented and twisted into all kinds of shapes, as people like pickpockets, beggars, sailors, musicians, gangsters, whores, politicians, gypsies, soldiers, gays and lesbians, policemen, rappers, cockneys, biker gangs and circus folk seized the King's or Queen's English by the throat and took it to places it would probably regret in the morning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail
• Release date: Nov 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781847659415

Max Décharné

Max Décharné was a member of the band Gallon Drunk, and has been with The Flaming Stars since 1994. An authority on the 1950s and 1960s counterculture, he is the author of Vulgar Tongues: An Alternative History of British Slang, as well as A Rocket in My Pocket and Hardboiled Hollywood . He lives in London.

Reviews for Vulgar Tongues

[ralphz-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Slang is everywhere, but may be on its last legs, this book says. That's but a side argument in a look at the development of slang in the English language.This seemed like a fun topic, and I was looking forward to learning more history about slang, but the book ultimately wasn't what I was hoping for. For one thing, I was disappointed that almost half the book was about sex, body parts or intoxicants. I guess that's where a lot of slang comes from, but it felt like those sections went on a bit too long.The other disappointment is that this was really written from a British point of view, so some of the words and references were, in a word, foreign to Americans. Luckily, I'm an Anglophile so I did get some of the references, but if you aren't familiar with, say, Cockney rhyming slang, you'll be lost. Some American slang is folded in, but not as much as compared with the rest of the book.The one thing that stuck with me was a conclusion made at the end of the book, on the offensiveness of the best slang. Yes, slang does offend, that's a given. But in our touchy times, that may be the unpardonable sin:"Ultimately, slang will have no place in this world, because the best of it is almost guaranteed to offend someone, somewhere."Let's hope that conclusion is wrong, because slang is and should remain part of language, offensive or not.I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.For more of my reviews, go to Ralphsbooks.

[hadden_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Somewhat interesting account of swear words, sland and vulgar expressions. An interesting account of their history, but little on the origin of need of vulgar words, or comparisons with other languages than English.