Slang Research & the Slang & New Language Archive

Tony Thorne, former Head of the Language Centre at King's, now Language and Innovation Consultant, is engaged in ongoing research into contemporary slang, the language of subcultures, particularly of young people - and other varieties of new language including business jargon, media catchphrases and ‘lifestyle’ terms. He has written, broadcast and lectured on these topics extensively in the UK and worldwide, most recently commenting on radio and TV on anti-jargon campaigns, swearing and racist language and the misuse of language by politicians and celebrities. He previously wrote the Last Word column in the Sunday Express newspaper and currently contributes the Bizwords column to British Airway's Business Life magazine.

 
Tony’s latest book is Jolly Wicked, Actually: the 100 words that make us English, a scholarly yet entertaining collection of cultural keywords published in September 2009 by Little, Brown. He is the compiler of the bestselling Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, the third edition of which was published by A & C Black in 2007, and Fads, Fashions & Cults, the Dictionary of Popular Culture, published by Bloomsbury. The Slang Dictionary is published in the USA by Pantheon Books, and local editions are on sale in Singapore, Japan, Russia, India and China. Tony Thorne’s Shoot the Puppy was published by Penguin UK in November 2007. The book is a compendium of the latest jargon, buzzwords and new usages recorded since 2000.

 
The English Language Centre at King's College is home to the Archive of Slang and New Language, a collection of printed materials (articles, academic studies, publications and authentic sources from the 17th century to the present) and a database of Contemporary English-language Slang from across the 'Anglosphere', as well as jargon, buzzwords and other examples of new English.
 

Tony Thorne is currently updating and expanding the Slang Dictionary database for upcoming editions and working on a title that will examine the future of the English language itself, as well as a life of the 18th century slang collector, Captain Francis Grose.

King's College and Tony Thorne welcome information from contributors, especially examples of contemporary youth slang or publications, articles, academic studies, etc. dealing with this and associated topics. All contributors will be acknowledged in upcoming publications.

Tony Thorne often visits universities, schools, publishers and other groups or institutions to talk about Slang, New Language, Taboo Language and the Language of Subcultures. Please contact him if you would like him to come and deliver a talk on these or similar subjects.
 
Now if you are interested in slang and new and unorthodox language, here are some articles to read: