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The lexicon of the male sex worker

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International Handbook of Modern Lexis and Lexicography

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Abstract

This chapter considers metaphoric clustering in a very specific type of lexis known as “code.” This is the underground language of the New Zealand male sex worker. In this case study, code’s historical and contemporary words and their metaphoric frameworks are discussed in the context of a protean dynamic of change as the language form seeks to maintain restricted understanding.

Some of the words considered are specific to New Zealand, but many form part of a wider, international lexicon. Thus, certain historical material has been noted in listings compiled in Australasia, South Africa, the UK, and the USA. However, a significant number of terms have been recovered through a series of oral history interviews with current and retired New Zealand sex workers.

The chapter also considers the implications of compiling such material in relation to wider lexicography. Specifically, it reviews the impact of user participation in online dictionaries and its influence on the dating and contextualizing of material. More importantly, it discusses tensions inherent in nominating lexical material like code for cultural inclusion when a social group’s safety relies upon restricted access.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New zealand

    Welby Ings

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  1. Welby Ings
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Correspondence to Welby Ings .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bristol Centre for Linguistics, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Patrick Hanks

  2. Department of African Languages and Culture, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Gilles-Maurice de Schryver

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Ings, W. (2015). The lexicon of the male sex worker. In: Hanks, P., de Schryver, GM. (eds) International Handbook of Modern Lexis and Lexicography. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45369-4_31-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45369-4_31-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45369-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    The lexicon of the male sex worker
    Published:
    13 November 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45369-4_31-2

  2. Original

    Lexicon of the male sex worker
    Published:
    05 December 2014

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45369-4_31-1

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