PublishedOxford University Press, January 2016 |
ISBN9780199927128 |
FormatHardcover, 232 pages |
Dimensions18.8cm × 13.5cm × 2.2cm |
From baby boomers with 'groovy' and 'yuppie' to Generation X with 'whatever' and 'like,' each generation inevitably generates original words that come out of its social and historical context. Those words not only tell us a great deal about the people in those generations, but also highlight the differences between them and other generations.In this book, Allan Metcalf, author of OK, uses a special framework of defining American generations to show that each generation of those born within a particular 20-year time period can be identified and characterized by words it chooses to use.
By sampling from as far back as the American Revolution, Metcalf carefully constructs a comprehensive account of the history and usage of words associated with each generation in the American language. With special attention to the differences in vocabulary among the generations currently living-the sometimes awkward Millennials, the grunge music of Generation X, hippies among the Boomers, and bobbysoxers among the Silents - From Skeddadle to Selfie compiles dozens of words we have come to recognize or use and tells the unheard stories of each in its role of accompanying its generation through the times.Key Features:A lively look at the words that have come to define different generations in historyThe first book to offer an explanation for the spread of the f-word by the Boomer generationTells the stories of dozens of words that identify and characterize the generations-skedaddle, dude, sexy, rock and roll, streaking, friends with benefits, and many more
