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The language of butchery, the UK’s last public craft

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Drawing on survey material from the 1970s, supplemented by present-day observations, this chapter sets out some core matters of the language used by butchers, and goes on to elaborate on three disparate matters of general linguistic concern. It takes a language-historical issue concerning English and French etymologies beyond the basic level at which it is customarily considered. It highlights lexicographic shortcomings as regards the treatment of semi-technical vocabulary. And it explains in some detail a little-known variety of slang, especially connected to butchers but not solely their preserve. The linguistic space inhabited by butchers emerges as both particular to them and relevant on a wider stage.

References

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  3. The Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary 1987  J. Sinclair (ed.). London & Glasgow: Collins.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Collins English Dictionary
    2003 6th edn. Glasgow: Harper Collins.
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    2003 The Edinburgh Companion to Scots. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
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  6. Crystal, D
    2004 The Stories of English. London: Allen Lane.
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  7. Dalzell, T. & Victor, T.
    (eds) 2006 The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. EBLEX The English Beef and Lamb Executive
    , www.eblextrade.co.uk/cuttingspecifications (16 August 2013).
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  10. Farmer, J.S. & Henley, W.E
    1890–1904 Slang and its Analogues Past and Present, 7 vols. London: for subscribers only.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Franklyn, J
    1953 The Cockney: A Survey of London Life and Language. London: André Deutsch.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Gerrard, F
    1971 Meat Technology, 4th edn. London: L. Hill.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Gerrard, F. & Mallion, F.J.
    (eds) 1977 The Complete Book of Meat. London: Virtue.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Grant, W. & Murison, D
    1935–1976 The Scottish National Dictionary,10 vols. Edinburgh: The Scottish National Dictionary Association.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Hotten, J.C
    1860 A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (by a London Antiquary), 2nd edn. London: J.C. Hotten.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Jespersen, O
    1982 Growth and Structure of the English Language, 10th edn. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. McDougall, A.P
    1937 Live stock. InThe Meat Trade: A Practical Treatise by Many Specialists, (anonymous eds), 1–139. London: Gresham Publishing Company.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Mayhew, H
    1851 London Labour and the London Poor, Vol. 1. London: George Woodfall and Son.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. The Oxford English Dictionary. www.oed.com (22 August 2013).
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Partridge, E
    1984 The Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th edn, P. Beale (ed.). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Schneider, E.W
    2013 Leisure-activity ESP as a special case of ELF: The example of scuba diving English. English Today29(3): 47–57. doi: 10.1017/S026607841300031X
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S026607841300031X [Google Scholar]
  22. Smith, J
    1996 An Historical Study of English: Function, Form and Change. London: Routledge.
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  23. Ullmann, S
    1964 Language and Style. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
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  24. Upton, C
    1974 Language butchered: Back-slang in the Birmingham meat trade. Lore and Language2(1): 31–35.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. 1977 The Language of the Meat Trade: A Survey of Terms Used by a Selected Sample of Butchers in the United Kingdom. PhD dissertation, University of Leeds.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. 2007 A ‘butcher’s hook’ (rhyming slang ‘look’) at important matters of English. Finn-Brits Magazine. Spring 2007.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Wareing, M. , Hill, S. , Trotter, C. & Hall, L
    2008 Knife Skills: How to Carve, Chop, Slice, Fillet. London: Dorland Kindersley.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Wright, J
    1898–1905 The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols. London: Henry Frowde.
     [Google Scholar]

References

  1. The British Pig Executive. www.bpex.org.uk/publications (16 August 2013).
     [Google Scholar]
  2. The Chambers Dictionary
    2008 11th edn. Edinburgh: Chambers.
  3. The Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary 1987  J. Sinclair (ed.). London & Glasgow: Collins.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Collins English Dictionary
    2003 6th edn. Glasgow: Harper Collins.
  5. Corbett, J. , McClure, J.D. & Stuart-Smith, J
    2003 The Edinburgh Companion to Scots. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Crystal, D
    2004 The Stories of English. London: Allen Lane.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Dalzell, T. & Victor, T.
    (eds) 2006 The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. EBLEX The English Beef and Lamb Executive
    , www.eblextrade.co.uk/cuttingspecifications (16 August 2013).
  9. Encarta Concise English Dictionary 2001 London: Bloomsbury.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Farmer, J.S. & Henley, W.E
    1890–1904 Slang and its Analogues Past and Present, 7 vols. London: for subscribers only.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Franklyn, J
    1953 The Cockney: A Survey of London Life and Language. London: André Deutsch.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Gerrard, F
    1971 Meat Technology, 4th edn. London: L. Hill.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Gerrard, F. & Mallion, F.J.
    (eds) 1977 The Complete Book of Meat. London: Virtue.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Grant, W. & Murison, D
    1935–1976 The Scottish National Dictionary,10 vols. Edinburgh: The Scottish National Dictionary Association.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Hotten, J.C
    1860 A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (by a London Antiquary), 2nd edn. London: J.C. Hotten.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Jespersen, O
    1982 Growth and Structure of the English Language, 10th edn. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. McDougall, A.P
    1937 Live stock. InThe Meat Trade: A Practical Treatise by Many Specialists, (anonymous eds), 1–139. London: Gresham Publishing Company.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Mayhew, H
    1851 London Labour and the London Poor, Vol. 1. London: George Woodfall and Son.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. The Oxford English Dictionary. www.oed.com (22 August 2013).
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Partridge, E
    1984 The Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th edn, P. Beale (ed.). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Schneider, E.W
    2013 Leisure-activity ESP as a special case of ELF: The example of scuba diving English. English Today29(3): 47–57. doi: 10.1017/S026607841300031X
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S026607841300031X [Google Scholar]
  22. Smith, J
    1996 An Historical Study of English: Function, Form and Change. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Ullmann, S
    1964 Language and Style. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Upton, C
    1974 Language butchered: Back-slang in the Birmingham meat trade. Lore and Language2(1): 31–35.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. 1977 The Language of the Meat Trade: A Survey of Terms Used by a Selected Sample of Butchers in the United Kingdom. PhD dissertation, University of Leeds.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. 2007 A ‘butcher’s hook’ (rhyming slang ‘look’) at important matters of English. Finn-Brits Magazine. Spring 2007.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Wareing, M. , Hill, S. , Trotter, C. & Hall, L
    2008 Knife Skills: How to Carve, Chop, Slice, Fillet. London: Dorland Kindersley.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Wright, J
    1898–1905 The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols. London: Henry Frowde.
     [Google Scholar]

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