Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1994

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

English

Major Professor

Thomas J. Heffernan

Committee Members

Bethany K. Dumas, Robert Kronick, J.E. Lighter

Abstract

This study accepts the notion that the isolated environment of the American prison is a powerful conditioner of language and examines how extended incarceration shapes the argot of its user, thus reflecting the shared cultural perceptions and values of prisoners. Specifically, it reports on data gathered in a four state Appalachian region—Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. Using an interview guide designed by the author to evoke argot surrounding prison cultural concerns, the author interviewed twenty-six inmates who had served protracted sentences in prisons within their respective states. From 950 pages of transcripts covering 35 hours of taped interviews, an argot lexicon of 1216 items is presented, with each term coded as to the state where it was heard. Next, an analysis based on quantitative principles identifies the semantic fields in which the terms are grouped and suggests how concentrations of terms within those fields reflect central characteristics of prison life as well as individual perceptions of the argot user. Central to the analysis is a principle posited by the author for interpreting group cultural expressions: the greater the percentage of total argot terms appearing in any semantic field, the more important are the experiences, perceptions and values expressed by that field in the life of the group. These interpretive principles are applied to several recognizable clusters of terms appearing in the lexicon: Explanations are also offered for the absence of large numbers of terms within certain semantic fields. A quantitative approach is also used to demonstrate that significant concordance exists between the argot of the four states investigated. Concerned with functional correspondence rather than precise linguistic duplication, the study defines conceptual linkages—labeled as “”associatives"—and discusses the presence of unique terms confined to a single state—called "isolates." The study identifies a bi-directional process at work in the development of argot within the areas which dominate the conceptual frame of the user: functional synonyms increase, but so does the development of unique terms within an individual location. The consistency of argot development within the four states argues for the existence of a regionalized prison argot.

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