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ALI G BLING BLINGS HIS WAY INTO LONGMAN DICTIONARY


March 26, 2003
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Ali G has been described as many things over the years, but linguistic pioneer is not one of them. It seems the controversial character has become just that, however, after contributing a crop of new words in the English language. For several of the expressions popularised by Ali have been included in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

The latest edition of Longman's tells us that "bling bling" refers to the wearing of expensive items such as jewellery in a way that is easy to notice. "Phat", meanwhile, means good as opposed to overweight, and "hottie" is a reference to someone who is very attractive.

Ali is not the only force contributing to the evolution of our language. Wider social forces have led to the inclusion of terms like "white van man", a phrase which, if you're not already aware, describes someone who drives a white van in an aggressive or dangerous manner.

While puritans may feel a little uneasy about the adoption of colloquialisms popularised by the performer, those who worked on the new volume disagree. "Language change is inevitable and to try to stop it is futile," said advisor Professor David Crystal.

Photo: © Alphapress.com
Ali G's trendsetting ways aren't limited to hip-hop clothes and gold chains. His popularisation of street vocabulary has also broken new ground for the English language

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