Musa Pedestris - Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes [1536 - 1896]

Name: Musa Pedestris - Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes [1536 - 1896]
Author: John Stephen Farmer

By John Stephen Farmer

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About This Book

The collection assembles popular canting songs and slang rhymes from across several centuries, preserving verses, ballads, and comic pieces drawn from a wide range of authors. It reproduces lyrics, choruses, and cantatas alongside editorial annotations, explanatory notes, indices of titles and authors, and a brief apparatus. Selections capture the language, rhythms, and topical humor of street and underworld argot, tracing informal vocabulary, recurring song forms, and social settings through variant texts. The editor offers glosses and contextual commentary to help readers navigate archaic slang and performance cues.

About the Author

John Stephen Farmer

John Stephen Farmer was a notable lexicographer and scholar, recognized for his extensive work on the English language, particularly in the realms of slang and colloquial expressions. His most significant contributions include "Musa Pedestris - Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes [1536 - 1896]," which showcases the evolution of slang over centuries. Farmer also authored the multi-volume series "Slang and its Analogues Past and Present," which serves as a comprehensive reference for the history and usage of slang in English. Additionally, he produced "The Public School Word-book," a historical glossary that highlights the unique language and expressions found within British public schools. His works remain valuable resources for linguists and those interested in the cultural history of language.