Dude, you’ve got to read this. A linguist from the University of Pittsburgh has published a scholarly paper deconstructing and deciphering the word “dude,” contending it is much more than a catchall for lazy, inarticulate surfers, skaters, slackers and teenagers…. Kiesling says in the fall edition of American Speech that the word derives its power from something he calls cool solidarity – an effortless kinship that’s not too intimate. —Mike Crissey —Linguist Deciphers Uses of Word ‘Dude’ (AP)
I do wish articles like this, that summarize scholarly publications, would give the full citation information, or at least the URL of the journal’s home page.
I’m reminded of The Big Lebowski by the Coen Brothers, and Amy Heckerling’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Thanks, Matt.
Or should I have said “dude”?
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_speech/toc/as79.3.html
Dude, it’s the 3rd article down. They harshed my ability to get the full text online though. Bummer, dude.
Thanks, Ron.
Someday, maybe news organizations will do better providing web-based references. I’m not holding my breath, though. Took me quite awhile just to find Kiesling’s page: http://www.pitt.edu/~kiesling/skpage.html