A Dictionary of Cantonese Slang

Download or read book A Dictionary of Cantonese Slang written by Christopher Hutton and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The publication of this dictionary locates the discussion of its subject, Cantonese slang, within the social, cultural, and political dynamics of Hong Kong society. The "slang" of the title refers to a wide range of Hong Kong vernacular Cantonese speech styles, notably the language of the underworld (a major source of innovation in late 20th-21st century speech), of teenagers, and of Hong Kong movies and comics. The volume offers a general introduction to the history of "vernacular" and "vulgar" dictionaries, including the lexicography of Cantonese; the sociopolitical and linguistic background to Hong Kong; and the specific problems faced by the linguist as urban anthropologist in researching such issues. The Dictionary itself offers for the first time a survey of the commonest slang and colloquial phrases used in Hong Kong, including taboo language not hitherto found in any dictionary. It is Cantonese-English, arranged alphabetically according to a widely-used transcription system.