Online Journal ARGOTICA, No 1(4)/2015
ISSN: 2286-3893

Slang Lexicography Today: A Retrospective and Prospective View


The history of slang lexicography is as fascinating as slang itself. It would be quite impossible for anyone to engage in the systematic study of slang without relying on the contribution of the lexicographers. For centuries on, they have recorded and preserved linguistic facts, often short-lived ones.
The current issue of Argotica is dedicated to the slang lexicography of the past, the present and the future, inviting contributors to tackle issues like
1) the comparative study of slang lexicography in various Western cultures (its origins and evolution);
2) the migration of slang items from one culture / language to another in various historical ages, which is detectable thanks to lexicography;
3) the revival of slang lexicography in formerly Communist countries where, for several decades, slang was a taboo subject; 4) the current stage of slang lexicography in various countries.

It also invites answers to questions referring to the future of this branch of linguistics:

1) has a global slang emerged in the “global village” brought about by the Inter-net?;
2) is the expansion of the “linguistic imperialism” of English apparent in slang, too?
3) is there, especially in ex-Communist countries, an opposite tendency at work, of a flourishing “local” slang?;
4) given the current dynamics of all languages, can a slang dictionary be compiled by a single author or will slang dictionaries become the result of team effort (as in the case of the on-line, so-called “urban” dictionaries compiled by collective, anonymous authors)?;
5) is slang invading, nowadays, public space, and are the traditional frontiers between slang and the generally accepted literary language getting more and more blurred?
These are just a few suggestions that may be used as points of departure for contributions focused on the specific elements of slang in various languages, on the interaction among cultures, which is obvious in the migration of slang, as well as on the aforementioned globalization tendencies.

Schedule:

- August 31, 2015: submission of proposals
- September 10, 2015: evaluation of proposals and notification to authors
- December 10, 2015: submission of articles
- December 30, 2015: submission of articles that needed changes
- January 31, 2016: online publication of the journal

Instructions for proposals:

- The name and surname of the author
- Affiliation (university / institution, faculty, department, research team, etc.)
- Title of the proposal
- Abstract (200-250 words)
- 3-5 key words
- Bibliography (five titles)

Contacts for submission of proposals:

George VOLCEANOV, Responsible editor of issue (for proposals in English and Romanian): geovolceanov@yahoo.com.
Laurențiu BĂLĂ (for proposals in French, Italian and Spanish): lbala@central.ucv.ro.

Journal website: (http://cis01.central.ucv.ro/litere/argotica/Argotica_En.html).