“All slang is metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry,” wrote G.K. Chesterton. But Chesterton’s “A Defence of Slang” is, of course, subject to continuing debate among academic audiences. Where does slang come from? How does it function in American speech, and with what linguistic and social effects? Connie Eble and Allan Metcalf discuss these questions.
At the time of this interview, Eble was professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Metcalf was professor of English at MacMurray College.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
