Editing Slang (section)

==Etymology of the word ''slang''==
In its earliest attested use (1756), the word ''slang'' referred to the vocabulary of "low" or "disreputable" people. By the early nineteenth century, it was no longer exclusively associated with disreputable people, but continued to be applied to usages below the level of standard educated speech.<ref name ="oed">{{cite web | title = Slang | work = Oxford English Dictionary | publisher = Oxford University Press | url = http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50226993?query_type=word&queryword=slang | access-date = 4 March 2010}}</ref> In Scots dialect it meant "talk, chat, gossip",<ref>{{cite web|title=Dictionaries of the Scots Language|url=https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/slang_n1|access-date=7 March 2022|archive-date=March 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307102657/https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/slang_n1|url-status=live}}</ref> as used by Aberdeen poet [[William Bell Scott|William Scott]] in 1832: "The slang gaed on aboot their war'ly care."
<ref>{{cite book|title=''The Bards of Bon Accord''|year=1887|publisher=Edmond & Spark|isbn=9780365410966|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=du8VukP5yiMC&pg=PA457|access-date=7 March 2022|archive-date=April 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417120915/https://books.google.com/books?id=du8VukP5yiMC&pg=PA457|url-status=live}}</ref> In northern English dialect it meant "impertinence, abusive language".<ref>{{cite book|title=''The English Dialect Dictionary''|year=1961|publisher=Рипол Классик|isbn=9785880963034|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rW0SAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA499|access-date=7 March 2022|archive-date=April 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406201344/https://books.google.com/books?id=rW0SAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA499|url-status=live}}</ref>

The origin of the word "slang" is unclear. It was first used in print around 1800 to refer to the language of the disreputable and criminal classes in London, though its usage likely dates back further.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-21 |title=Slang {{!}} Origins, Uses & Examples in Linguistics |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/slang |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=Britannica |language=en |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709215634/https://www.britannica.com/topic/slang |url-status=live }}</ref> A Scandinavian origin has been proposed (compare, for example, Norwegian {{lang|no|slengenavn}}, which means "nickname"), but based on "date and early associations" is discounted by the [[Oxford English Dictionary]].<ref name="oed"/> [[Jonathon Green]], however, agrees with the possibility of a Scandinavian origin, suggesting the same root as that of ''sling'', which means "to throw", and noting that slang is thrown language – a quick and honest way to make your point.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Brief History of slang|url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=19267&xtid=6547|work=Films on Demand|publisher=Films Media Group|access-date=23 January 2015|archive-date=December 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214052819/https://digital.films.com/p_Login.aspx?e=9&xtid=6547&wID=105634|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="etymonline">{{cite web| title = Slang| work = Online Etymological Dictionary| url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=slang| access-date = 4 March 2010| archive-date = March 19, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110319030556/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=slang| url-status = live}}</ref>