History of Slang Welcome! You are encouraged to register with the site and login (for free). When you register, you support the site and your question history is saved.A statistical review of word types and frequencies in all of the works of fiction in a library has found that the works of fiction published prior to 1970 use far fewer slang words, measured as a percentage of the book's total words, than the works of fiction published in 1970 or later. Evidently, whether or not they intended to do so, authors of works published prior to 1970 used less slang than authors of later books. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens this argument? The amount of slang used in non-fiction books in the statistical review is essentially constant across periods of history. Works of fiction published in 1970 or later are often just as critically acclaimed as works of fiction published prior to 1970. Prior to widespread means of information communication, slang words were less likely to be understood by the entirety of a widespread readership. The less slang a published book uses, the more likely it is to remain stocked by a library over time. Writers of manuscripts prior to 1970 used as much slang as those of later manuscripts, but due to more conservative attitudes of editors during the earlier period, the manuscripts written during the earlier period were less likely to be published. Review Answer