Slang Flashcards
What term can be used to describe slang?
Marginal Language
What do Modern Linguists believe about Slang?
- in-group language: where there’s gangs, there’s slangs
- often seen as playful, yet they also have a lot of offensive terms
- moves into other dialects
- elements of showing off
- it has a hierarchy
What sort of modes and forms does slang take place in?
- non-standard
- informal
- spoken and electronic mode
Who is Slang dominated by?
Youth speak, however all areas of life can give rise to slang.
What does in-group slang rely on?
Having insiders and outsiders to the group.
It’s used as a sociable aspect and is used in groups to be exclusive and it becomes part of that gang’s features.
Why is slang used to show off?
To seem cool. It’s deliberate, “cool is a performance”
What are the main influences on Slang?
BBE (black British English)
London Jamaican
What sort of lexis is common in slang?
- Revolves around ‘taboo’ areas
- Highly metaphorical
- Often is dysphemism = putting something nastily
What are the taboo areas slang revolves around?
- alcohol
- drugs
- sex
- money
- body parts
What do you get a lot of with slang words?
Overlexialisation - you obtain a lot of synonyms for different words
Change of a words meaning such as Pejoration and Amelioration. (making words into an opposite negative or positive meaning)
Where is slang usually found?
Speech rather than writing
Vocabulary rather than grammar
What can happen to slang?
It can be short-lived and come out of use
OR
Remain to be popular and become so widely used they are regarded as “normal, standard usage”
Where does slang come from?
- New words are made up entirely
- Use of old words with new meaning
- Inversion of meaning (amelioration/pejoration)
- Borrowings
- Clippings
- Use of metaphors
What is slang used for?
To be rebellious and act against society’s conventional norms and values
To be humorous
Express membership of a group
To be fashionable and new
Who is another group where slang occurs quite often?
Criminals
