Introduction
The English language is composed of both the written and the spoken word. It is undergoing a lot of changes due to modernization. As one generation goes and another one comes, the meaning of the language changes as also the culture changes ( Sari., 2010) . Language has an influence on culture and Boas argues that the language spoken by a particular group is due to their cultural practices. Language makes the people who speak it to have a certain view of the world. Non-standard English is composed of dialects, jargon, slogans and slang. This paper discusses slang from the sociolinguistic point of view looking at exampes of slang words that were used in the past tgether with those that are in use today.
Slang
Slang is believed to have being derived from the word s´language in England in the 18 th century and it was linked to the vulgar language spoken by some subcultures such as criminals. Slang is the informal non English works that are used by people of all walks of life and it originates from the sub cultures within the cultures in the society. Slang maybe a sentence, group of words or one word. Slang is uses non- standard English and it is commonly used in colloquial speech. Slang is usually used as a form of in-group identity as the people using it have accepted the words and they know the meaning. Once the words have been accepted as slang they are then adopted by a group of people. Cant is a slang used among the beggars and thieves and they use it when they want to deceive a person while flash is a fashionable slang that was used in London between the eighteenth and the nineteenth century.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Slang does not have an age limit or geographic boundary as it can be used by people of all ages and from any part of the world. Slang needs to be accepted and use by many people so that it can become part of language of a people in the society however it is short lived (Love Michael.,n.d). It usually begins by being use by people in the same occupation and then spread to the general population. Slang has a great impact on the development of a language in a society.
Slang keeps on evolving and slang that was used by the previous generation can change meaning or become accepted as part of the language in a society. Slang changes rapidly, as a slang that is useful to one generation may become absolute in the next generation. Most of the youths of today do not use the same slang that their parents used as they view it as old school ( Pedersen.,2009) . For example, Flapper is a slang that was commonly used in the 19 th century to mean a young woman. In the 1920, it was a term that was used by the people in the population to still mean a young woman. The term gay which was used to mean ‘homosexuals’ began as a slang and it has been accepted in the English language.
Who uses the slang?
Slang is commonly used by people when they are speaking and it is rarely used in the written form. Slang is commonly used when people are talking about unacceptable behaviors in the community such as drugs and sex and it is commonly used by the young people ( Pedersen., 2009) . Slang is an informal language that is commonly used by the young people especially the teenagers. This is because they are creative and they can come up with new words and vocabulary at a faster rate. In addition, they also want to use new words which would create a friendly atmosphere when they are socializing with their age mates. Slang is also commonly used by people in the same occupation, those who abuse drugs and the homosexuals. Slang can also be found in the lyrics of some songs such as the rock songs. Slang is also used by the lovers of rock music in America ( Sari.,2010) . In the past, rock was a means that people used to communicate their culture and it involved the use of rock words. Further, slang is also used in most of the movies as it shows the cultural identity of a community. The homosexuals who include the lesbians and the gay used the ‘vulgar slang’ when communicating either amongst themselves or when putting their arguments in the press ( Zhou & Fan., 2013) .
Why people use slang
The slang is as old as the English language and people began to use slang as they wanted to be unique. Slang is commonly composed of foreign words or words whose expression varies in cultures. Slang may exist between members of a certain profession, criminal or drug addicts. There is a group of people who accepts use of slang while there are others who oppose its use because they believe that it lowers the standards of the English language. Regardless of the position where one stands, slang is with us as long as human beings are in existence. Slang is used to indicate that a person belongs to a certain social class, profession, trade or school. It is also used by people such as prisoners, children or lovers who want to share a secret and they don’t want the people around them to understand what they are saying. It is also used to enrich a language. Further, slang is commonly used by the young men and women and also to show solidarity. It is also use by the people who want to look different from others ( Partridge., 1970) .
Slangs and their usage
Dude
The word dude originated in the United States in the 1930s and 1940 and it was used by a group of men among them the Pachuchos and the zoot-suiters because of the way they used to dress smartly. The word dude then moved from an in group term to being used by young men amongst themselves to being used across all genders in 1980s. The word dude was initially used to mean “old rag” then in the nineteenth century the tem was used to refer to a man that dressed well in the United States. The term dude is commonly used by young men aged below 30 years. In addition, it is a term that is also used by women in the same age group. This confirms that dude is commonly sed to index a solidarity stance rather than masculinity. The word dude has dual indexicalities which include distance and solidary. For instance in “I’m like, dude, don’t touch me.” The word dude is used to index distance while in “Dude this class is soo boring”. In addition, the word dude can also be used as an exclamation to show both negative and positive reactions. It is also used to show there is a connection between two people and also when there is an agreement on the utterances of the addressee (Kiesling.,2014).
Other slangs
There are a variety of other slang words that are used in the society especially in the United States. Feeling blue is a slang that is used by somebody to mean that they are sad or depressed. Another slang word is to cram that is common among the students and academicians and it means to study continuously before an exam and this is usually done by those students who don’t prepare early for exams. Further, down to earth is a slang that is used to refer to a person who doesn’t pretend. In addition, there is the slang word to crash which means to attend a ceremony or a function without being invited. Hanging out is a slang that is common among the young men and women and it is usually used to mean attending parties or spending time with a friend in a social place. When someone says that he is Hyphed then it means that he is very excited. Screw up is a slang that is used by somebody makes a mistake ( 40 American Slang Words and Phrases You Need to Know. (n.d.) .
I’ll hook you up is a slang that is used in movies to mean that somebody will approach another one with an offer of interacting sexually. In addition, the word shit is a slang that is used when one is annoyed or is annoyed. When someone says that he wants his damn thing, then the slang damn means something that doesn’t have a lot of importance to that person. The word bastard is used to mean a person who is not respected. The word guy is a slang that is used to mean the youths and it is used amongst the youngster when they are talking to each other. Further, the term buddy is used to refer to a friend. Finally, the term kid is use to refer to a child ( Sara.,2010).
Conclusion
Slang has been in usage since the seventeenth century. Some of the words that were initially used as slang have become extinct as others have been incorporated into the English language. In addition, there are also some new words that have been formed. Slang is usually common among the youngster, although it can also be found among people who abuse drugs, criminals and homosexuals. Most commonly, it is the people who are using a certain slang who understands its meaning as it usually used in in-groups. Many people have argues that the use of slang lowers the standards of both written and spoken English. As slang is short lived and keeps on changing, we should expect to come across some new slangs as others become extinct or are incorporated into the Standard English language. Slang forms a big part of the language in people in the society or community and it remains to be seen in the near future whether most of the slang will form part of the English language.
References
40 American Slang Words and Phrases You Need to Know. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2017, from https://www.smartling.com/blog/40-american-slang-words-and-phrases-you-need-to-know/
Buchtová, M. P., & Kuchařová, L. MASARYK UNIVERSITY IN BRNO FACULTY OF EDUCATION. https://is.muni.cz/th/79881/pedf_b/last_version.pdf
Zhou, Y., & Fan, Y. (2013). A sociolinguistic study of American slang. Theory and Practice in Language Studies , 3 (12), 2209. http://search.proquest.com/openview/19a7391ae1113646f98f663413d37ae1/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2026476
Kiesling, S. F. (2004). Dude. American Speech , 79 (3), 281-305.
http://americanspeech.dukejournals.org/content/79/3/281.short
Pedersen, T. (2009). The Use of Slang in British English: A Study of the Slang used in Football Factory and Little Britain.
http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:234593
Loves Michael, L. What is Slang?/What Slang is Not.
http://www.uab1dec.ro/reviste_recunoscute/philologica/philologica_2006_tom2/38.doc
Partridge, E. (1970). Slang Today and Yesterday: With a Short Historical Sketch, and Vocabularies . Routledge, Kegan Paul.
Sari, R. P. (2010). An analysis of slang language types in rush hour 2 movie.
http://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/handle/123456789/1127
