DESPRE GENEZA ŞI RĂSPÂNDIREA ARGOULUI RIMAT ENGLEZESC
On the genesis and spread of the English rhyming slang

Summary/Abstract: In the realm of slang the interest and importance of the social history of words and their social context cannot be underestimated. By looking at the way a certain form of slang originated and developed and the kinds of speakers that have come to use it at different times throughout its history, one can better understand the social connotations it carries today. Such is the case of rhyming slang. The aim of this article is to provide a bird’s eye view of the history of rhyming slang from its origins in nineteenth-century London to its dissemination throughout Britain and to Australia and the United States. The word despre (‘on’) in the title suggests that this is a survey of territory that has not been fully mapped.

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