I have to admit I came into 'Brocabulary' with the wrong impression. Nearly twenty-five years have passed since I entered the classroom as a teacher, and by trial and error, I came to intermittently speak inner city lingo. Sometimes it promoted understanding, at others laughter. While I've tried to promote formal, consistent English in those situations where farming children use "ain't" and city children use words like "homie" and "dog," it has always been my task to understand all students and their language.
Although 'Brocabulary' is not really a dictionary (no I won't repeat his spelling), it does often give the social context for his own made up words. More of a comedy book, 'New York' magazine's Daniel Maurer proves himself a resourceful and multi-faceted author and comedian. The result is a book that resembles more of an R-rated version of Tim Allen's 'Don't Stand Next to a Naked Man' or an extended Chris Rock stand up routine.
Starting irreverently (in both senses of the word), Maurer takes on history with 4,000 B.C. "Meso-BRO-tamia" and "Egyptian GUY-roglyphics". From there the Dude-speak (Did I make that one up?) comes out in flying colors. There are chapters about "BRO-mmunication," drinking "Barticulation," and recreation or "Chilloquialisms".
In the wrong hands the book is bound to offend, for political correctness gets no hearing with lines from Lincoln stated as "Four whores and seven beers ago." Most will have no trouble laughing at "neanderbrawl," to paraphrase a drunken fight by stupid men. But much of the material is about genital size and treating women as sex objects. The latter isn't quite as bad as it sounds because he partly pokes fun of the male-centric world he recreates. Some of the best material comes from the tables. For male and female bonding there's (forgive me) "Breastination" and "Testosterzone". One set reads, "You and your friends are getting your nails painted," for the former, and "You and your friends are nailing each other with paint guns," for the latter.
While witty, I wonder why he put so much effort into this project. At times tiresome, at others blurt out funny, Mauerer still delivers, if not exhausts, all the informal takes on male bonding and obsessions. Is Daniel Maurer the next Dave Barry? If he channels his resources in the right direction, probably so.
