Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures

by Luc Reid

Book Overview

'Talk the Talk' explains the nuanced meaning of authentic slang and specialized vocabulary. It is organised by subculture, with each section introducing the group and its key characteristics, it then... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1435114434
• ISBN13: 9781435114432
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Fall River Press
• Length: 422 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Addictive

Be forewarned: opening this book is a similar danger to trying to eat just one or two potato chips. You would expect that a reference book like this--it's a dictionary, after all--would be very dry, something you'd go to only to find very specific information, and would never be tempted to read cover to cover. You'd be wrong. Although there are plenty of just-what-you'd-expect dictionary style definitions, it seems almost every subculture or group covered in this book (okay, there are exceptions--cat fanciers seem a pretty humorless lot, for example) have one or more expressions that are laugh out loud funny. "Yard sale," for instance, to bicyclers means a major crash that results in the rider's gear being strewn widely, as if on display for sale. I originally bought this book as a gift for an aspiring writer, and without question it's an excellent addition to any writer's personal library. So often it's the little details, such as dialogue that rings so true you'd think you were hearing it on the street, that transform a scene from being something you're merely reading into an experience so real you feel a part of it. Talk the Talk provides a handy source where writers can quickly acquire that kind of detail. But anyone can enjoy it, because its style makes the material so accessible. Each subculture topic area is only a few pages long and can be skimmed in a minute or two, and the entertaining nuggets crop up with such regularity that I couldn't resist reading just one more section, then another, then another. I've had to buy a copy to keep for myself, too. P.S.: Don't skip the introduction. The author's tongue-in-cheek humor makes it a delight, and kept me wishing throughout the book that he'd sprinkled his asides (be sure and read, for example, his comment on the Greek name for male breasts in the Bodybuilders section) more liberally through the rest of the book

"Yuppie Larva"

Learning that "yuppie larva" is a term used to describe privileged kids acting snotty was reward enough for me to like this book. While it is true that a few of the categories seem part of common knowledge (see the reader review complaining about the bodybuilder nomenclature), author Reid does a good job putting slang into context and keeping things moving along. It seems to me that most word lovers would enjoy taking a spin through this well-designed book. One more example, from the bicycling chapter: "FDGB" is an acronym for "Fall Down, Go Boom." *smile* Also recommended: Slang: The Topical Dictionary of Americanisms

Really Nice Resource for Writers and Word-lovers

I used this book for a story, when I wanted to salt in just enough words for a culture to be real, and found it very useful. It's not a substitute for in-depth study of a culture, but if you want your surfer dude or goth chick to say something that sounds convincing, it's handy. It's also a fun book just for those who love words and expressions - plenty of nifty little tidbits.

TALK THE TALK offers a history of language's modern evolution.

Cross-cultural interpretations of meaning for language used by Goths, hackers, Trekkers and more are revealed in an unusual survey of modern slang and subcultures using it. Listings include each subculture and its key characteristics along with the meaning of words unique to that culture, allowing for an easy contrast and comparison between subcultures. More than just a simple terminology dictionary, TALK THE TALK offers a history of language's modern evolution. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Well researched information in an attractive book

This book is being marketed as a resource for writers, but it's also an interesting book for anyone interested in odd or unusual facts. The attractive design of the book makes it a good coffee table item and conversation starter. As a published novelist myself, I don't know that this book would be my first choice to research a particular subculture I wanted to write about. The knowledge here can't substitute for actually getting out and talking to members of the subculture. It does, however, provide a terrific tool for browsing a wide range of subcultures in search of inspiration from some of the more poetic or intriguing phrases you will find within these pages. As a window into worlds most people never encounter, it's well worth the cover price.