Abstract:

The paper discusses the use of the Early English Prose Corpus, to identify canting terms and expressions, and verify their meanings in comparison with those given them in contemporary lexicographic works. The analysis finds canting terms and expressions in at least a dozen of the contemporary narrative works included in the Early English Prose Corpus. The meanings found in novels and pamphlets coincide with the definitions of 17th and 18th century dictionaries and glossaries. Quotations found during these searches also provide antedatings of a few terms in earlier sources than those commonly attested, and a few previously unrecorded expressions.

Document Type: Research article