Goth slang is the slang of the goth subculture. There are a range of slang terms for those within the community and their particular interests, or the particular "type" of goth they are, such as 'Perky Goth' or 'Cybergoth'.
Sarcastic references to goths whose appearance does not meet with approval or who are new to the scene are common, as are references to the particular music artist that influences the individual goth. Terms often show a sense of humour and are presented in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
The goth subculture, having been around from the late 1970s to early 1980s, has had some time to develop its own parlance. New fashions, and trends attract slang terms to describe them.
Geographical variations
Regional variations include mall goth, a US term for the sort of poser goth, less common in the United Kingdom or Australia where the terms "shopping centre" or "high street" take the place of "mall" in ordinary colloquial language.Examples
Corporate goth: Goth with a day job, often melding corporate wear (or office wear) with gothic style.Cybergoth: Goth interested in cyberculture. Elder goth: A goth who has been part of the subculture since it originally came about, or a goth over the age of 40.Gothdom: Goth society.Gothing Up: Getting dressed in goth attire, often before visiting a club.Graver: A cybergoth who goes to raves. In terms of fashion, cybergoths have rave influences in their attire. Kindergoth: A goth kid, normally under the age 16.Perky Goth: (Alternatively spelled "PerkyGoff".) A goth who pretends to be "happy" but is not serious about it. Most often doing it for the humorous cynicism involved and enjoyment of other goths at a "normie's" confusion. Rivethead: Devoted fan of Industrial Music. Mainly EBM, Noize, Dark Electro, TBM, Aggroteck, Hellektro etc.Spot the Goth: Looking for other goths, most often in areas where they are unlikely to be, or on the way to goth venues.Ubergoth: The pinnacle of goth style, or a goth who is always perfectly dressed. The goth that will "dress to the nines to go out and buy the milk". Can also be used in a derogatory sense to describe a person who would appear to be attempting to exceed or better others in terms of dress or attitude.References
Further reading
- Baddeley, Gavin: Goth Chic: A Connoisseur's Guide to Dark Culture (Plexus, US, August 2002, ISBN 0-85965-308-0)
- Hodkinson, Paul: Goth: Identity, Style and Subculture (Dress, Body, Culture Series) 2002: Berg. ISBN 1-85973-600-9 (hardcover); ISBN 1-85973-605-X (softcover)
- Kilpatrick, Nancy: The goth Bible : A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined. 2004: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-30696-2
- Siegel, Carol: Goths Dark Empire. 2004: Indiana University Press. 2005 ISBN
- Encyclopedia Gothica: Terminology Index http://www.waningmoon.com/gothica/indexes/terms.shtml
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Last updated on Saturday July 12, 2008 at 04:41:16 PDT (GMT -0700)
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