Vocabulum; or The Rogue's Lexicon by George W. Matsell
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"Vocabulum; or The Rogue's Lexicon" by George W. Matsell is a lexicon-like reference work written in the mid-19th century. The book serves as a compilation of the unique language and slang used by criminals and the rogue community, providing insights into a subculture that communicates through a specialized dialect. It is not only to aid law enforcement but also to educate readers on how this language has permeated society, becoming part of
mainstream lexicon over time. The opening of this work introduces Matsell's motivation for compiling this lexicon. As a Special Justice and Chief of Police in New York, he realized the importance of understanding the language of the criminal underworld to perform his duties effectively. He recounts how the rogue community possesses a distinct dialect that evolves and infiltrates everyday language, thereby bridging the worlds of law enforcement and criminality. The preface explains the challenges he faced in gathering this slang, much of which had previously only existed in oral form. Matsell emphasizes that knowledge of this vocabulary is valuable not only for police officers but also for the general public, as it is used in various forms of communication, including official messages and daily discourse. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Matsell, George W. (George Washington), 1811-1877 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 21018137 |
| Title |
Vocabulum; or The Rogue's Lexicon Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources |
| Credits |
Produced by Chris Curnow, Ernest Schaal, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 83.7 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PE: Language and Literatures: English |
| Subject | Cant -- Dictionaries |
| Subject | English language -- New York (State) -- New York -- Slang -- Dictionaries |
| Subject | Rogues and vagabonds -- New York (State) -- New York -- Language -- Dictionaries |
| Subject | Americanisms -- New York (State) -- New York -- Dictionaries |
| Subject | Cant -- New York (State) -- New York -- Dictionaries |
| Subject | New York (N.Y.) -- Languages -- Dictionaries |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 52320 |
| Release Date | Jun 13, 2016 |
| Last Update | Oct 23, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 567 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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