SLANG DICTIONARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue CXXIII, 10 April 1937, Page 26

SLANG DICTIONARY

NEW ZEALANDER'S WORK

A dictionary, of slang and- colloquialisms, language, of the underworld,, and unconventional; English, from the fifteenth century to the present day/has been compiled by Mr. Eric Partridge, formerly of Poverty Bay.; It has been received with a great deal of interest, and Mr. Partridge has both broadcast and televised on slang, writes our London correspondent There is every indication that his "Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English" will be a striking success, for it is said that, in addition to being a "monumental, dictionary" it is a."social and sociological study of the first order." ' , ;

After referring ,to previous .dictionaries of slang/the writer of a-lengthy review in the London "Sunday Times" remarks that Farmer and Henley's compilation emphasised that "foul speech," which Kipling tells us "a-' bey ought to learn early and put oehind him by his seventeenth year," 'and that this book has been removed dj some libraries from their open reference shelves.1 Mr. Partridge, on the other hand, appealing to a greatly-increased audience, has dealt.'with unpleasant terms "as "astringently, as ■ aseptically, as is consistent with clarity and adequacy."^ . '■■■••■ '" ' V '■■ •• '.''' ,-■ The :use of slang and the lexicographer's interest in it were enormously : increased by the Great War, for sailors and soldiers, living in a world of their own, develop a vocabulary of their own. Sterne told us in the early part of "Tristram Shandy" that "our armies swore terribly: ,in Flanders," but they swore and also'joked much more and in a polyglot fashion in that same Flanders:and elsewhere during the.'war/ as' the scholarly .Mr ; Edward Fraseri the naval historian;. and Mr. John Gibbon have shown' us in "Soldier and Sailor Words'and Phrases,'' published twelve years ago. ■ . That fact, alone makes it necessary .to have a slang dictionary brought-.up to date. It is not a little curious that Mr. Partridge has tackled the task, "iot -he- is a New Zealander by birth, and' therefore, not originally so aware of our slang-as, say, a,, Cockney like Camden Hotten.' But he has long.been interested, in' the subject, and' has already given us* two'books on the subject. THE SPREAD OF SLANG, /He defines , slang ■as ' "linguistically unconventional English," and that is of such- an. extent that he! needs 999 double-column pages to describe it, an enormous -task for. the' .lexicographer, so that .we, can well believe Mr: Part-, ridge when'lie tells us:."l have worked harder [on it] than. (I hope but.would not swear)-1 shall ever, work again." On a rough estimation he deals with 380,000 worc^s and phrases,' of which he thinks 44' per cent.are slang : and cant and 42 per cent, colloquialisms. The rest is made up by solecisms, nicknames, and ,■: vulgarisms,.,.. the last/of which,-. estimated., at only, a half per cent, represent ' words' and: ; phrases which, though ;in. no .way. slangy, are avoided in polite society. Mr. Partridge qalculates roughly' that, whereas the Oxford Dictionary contains: 30 percent, ;words . than ' Farmer; and Henley's, arid while Farmer and.'Henley have some 20. per cent, not in the Oxford Dictionary, his dictionary contains approximately 35 per cent, more than the others'taken together, and; except: accidentally," it- has missed nothing-included in these two:; works.1 Even a casual perusal of the pages is extraordinarily, instructive and entertaining* presenting the reader with so much out-of-the-way information ; that it - is: not surprising ■■ Mr.'■'■. Partridge acknowledges help from many authorities. ; It. is: interesting. to ■ note, too, the short life of many .slang, words. , . MR. PARTRIDGE'S CAREER. V , Mr. Partridge has had an interesting career since he left' New Zealand at the age •of .14. ; He went to Australia, served in the Australian Forces during the war, passed through' an Australianuniversity before going as a Travelling Fellow.to Oxford, and, after . several years as a university lecturer" invEnglish at Manchester ; and London, he .became: a publisher with .three . degrees to his name. ■ Since 1931 he "has been a publishers' adviser, ■• but- chiefly, -a; writer.'- " ' - . • . ' ■ . - : ' '.■■ '-.■■■■;

His most successful: books have been "Glimpses," a volume/of short stories; "Three Personal Records of the War,". \yith R. H. Mottram and John Easton; "Songs and Slang of the British Soldier," with" John . Brophy (Mr.. Partridge's share of .the work in. bpth thesebooks has been praised very .highly); •an annotated . edition of Grose's "Dictionary, of the Vulgar Tongue";. "Slang Today and Yesterday"; "Words,' Words,; W6rds,": essays in, and on,.- word his-, tory.and word ways; "Name This .Child: a.' pleasant--, dictionary of.,- Christian names.". "Covey," also from the pen of Mr. Partridge; is the first" one-man, anthology of a New Zealand writer, a book that'will show New Zealanders what "a Very distinguished" ' country.man is doing. . .

Mr. Partridge is. now engaged,'as a Leverhulme Research Fellow, on a historical dictionary of "Cant in the Englishrspeaking World." By cant: is meant the language 'of criminals and: their associates, beggars' and tramps. - It has been said of - Mr. Partridge that though he is acknowledged as: a scholar, he is never pedantic, always interesting and entertaining,' and,., above all. always human. : ■ . ■ :.'■■'' '■•.'.'■