 #35 (permalink) Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:11 am Is 'short-time work' a German term? |
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Slang is actually an interesting subject.
When you think of "slang" what comes into your mind? Maybe an unofficial unacceptable way of talking? A use of language that should not be allowed? A use of language that should not be respected? A language that has no place in society, in business?
So often when people talk of slang it is in a degraded way, not deserving respect however, is this not, still a part of a language? From international marketing, advertising, through the board rooms of the world, in companies, in authorities, practically everywhere slang has a place.
Scholars of English and many other languages, although many detesting slang in context of vocabulary and grammar, proceed, use and accept slang in their everyday lives. If someone disagrees with a word, phrase or grammar construction, it is immediately defined as slang.
Personally I believe that there is a place for true grammar and vocabulary, and a place for slang, coining the term “true” in my own personal concept of its meaning, and that both are important for communication. Communication in 95% if not 99% of cases being the objective of the people learning a language.
So the question now is; if a phrase is used mainly in just one country, area, region such as the seemingly main point of this discussion, is this then slang? Region or area maybe, but between countries? So would this mean that trunk, bonnet, check, did he do it yet … and all those other American ways should be classed as slang?
And this brings into the story another interesting point. On what do we base the use of the word slang? For if British English is seen as slang, this must mean that another language form, possibly American English is the source of the language. And if American English could be thought of as slang, then that must mean UK (British) English must be the source of the language. For sure, if this were the situation, the source of a language (from where it spread to other lands) should really be the true language and derivatives should then be seen as slang. And finally did English spread from the US to the UK or from the UK to the US?
Interesting eh? Maybe people should think twice when broadly condemning any language they do not understand to the term slang in a way that could be taken as degraded or second, when in fact they may not really understand the term slang to start off with.
But everything is in the eye of the beholder and one must be able to openly accept without condemning if in fact they wish to learn a language.
Sorry, I felt like exercising my fingers this morning and write, I am sure it will be good food for those searching for grammatical imperfections … let the slaughter of poor old Rob begin …. Smile.
Here is a reasonable definition of slang....
slang, vernacular vocabulary not generally acceptable in formal usage. It is notable for its liveliness, humor, emphasis, brevity, novelty, and exaggeration. Most slang is faddish and ephemeral, but some words are retained for long periods and eventually become part of the standard language (e.g., phony, blizzard, movie). On the scale used to indicate a word's status in the language, slang ranks third behind standard and colloquial (or informal) and before cant. Slang often conveys an acerbic, even offensive, no-nonsense attitude and lends itself to poking fun at pretentiousness. Frequently grotesque and fantastic, it is usually spoken with intent to produce a startling or original effect. It is especially well developed in the speaking vocabularies of cultured, sophisticated, linguistically rich languages. Characteristically individual, slang often incorporates elements of the jargons of special-interest groups (e.g., professional, sport, regional, criminal, and drug subcultures). Slang words often come from foreign languages or are of a regional nature. Slang is very old, and the reasons for its development have been much investigated. The following is a small sample of American slang descriptive of a broad range of subjects: of madness—loony, nuts, psycho; of crime—heist, gat, hit, heat, grifter; of women—babe, chick, squeeze, skirt; of men—dude, hombre, hunk; of drunkenness—sloshed, plastered, stewed, looped, trashed, smashed; of drugs—horse, high, stoned, tripping; of caressing—neck, fool around, make out; of states of mind—uptight, wired, mellow, laid back; the verb to go—scram, split, scoot, tip; miscellaneous phrases—you push his buttons, get it together, chill, she does her number, he does his thing, what's her story, I'm not into that.
Nonstandard vocabulary of extreme informality, usually not limited to any region. It includes newly coined words, shortened forms, and standard words used playfully out of their usual context. Slang is drawn from the vocabularies of limited groups: cant, the words or expressions coined or adopted by an age, ethnic, occupational, or other group (e.g., college students, jazz musicians); jargon, the shoptalk or technical terminology specific to an occupation; and argot, the cant and jargon used as a secret language by thieves or other criminals. Occupying a middle ground between standard and informal words accepted by the general public and the special words or expressions of these subgroups, slang often serves as a testing ground for words in the latter category. Many prove either useful enough to become accepted as standard or informal words or too faddish for standard use. Blizzard and okay have become standard, while conbobberation (“disturbance”) and tomato (“girl”) have been discarded. Some words and expressions have a lasting place in slang; for instance, beat it (“go away”), first used in the 16th century, has neither become standard English nor vanished. |
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HamburgEnglish
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 276
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