Slang is the use of informal
words and
expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's
language or
dialect
but are considered acceptable in certain social settings. Slang
expressions may act as
euphemisms and may be used as a means of identifying with one's
peers.
Defining slang
Few
linguists have endeavoured to clearly define what constitutes slang.[1]
Attempting to remedy this, Bethany K. Dumas and Jonathan Lighter argue
that an expression should be considered "true slang" if it meets at
least two of the following criteria:
-
- It lowers, if temporarily, "the dignity of formal or serious
speech or writing"; in other words, it is likely to be
considered in those contexts a "glaring misuse of
register."
- Its use implies that the user is familiar with whatever is
referred to, or with a group of people who are familiar
with it and use the term.
- "It's a taboo term in ordinary discourse with people of a
higher social status or greater responsibility. "
- It replaces "a well-known conventional synonym". This is
done primarily to avoid discomfort caused by conventional
phrases or by further elaboration.[1]
Slang is different from
jargon,
which is the technical vocabulary of a particular profession, and which
meets only the second of the criteria given above. Jargon, like many
examples of slang, may be used to exclude non–group members from the
conversation, but in general has the function of allowing its users to
talk precisely about technical issues in any given field.[citation
needed]
Extent
and origins of slang
Slang can be regional (that is, used only in a particular territory),
but slang terms are often particular instead to a certain
subculture, such as
music
or
video gaming. Nevertheless, slang expressions can spread outside
their original areas to become commonly used, like
cool and
jive. Some words eventually lose their status as slang. The word
mob, for
example, began as a shortening of Latin
mobile vulgus. When slang spreads beyond the group or subculture
that originally used it, its original users sometimes replace it with
other, less recognized terms to maintain group identity.[2]
One use of slang is to circumvent social
taboos,
as mainstream language tends to shy away from evoking certain realities.
For this reason, slang vocabularies are particularly rich in certain
domains, such as
violence,
crime,
drugs, and
sex. Alternatively, slang can grow out of mere familiarity with the
things described. Among wine drinkers, for example,
Cabernet Sauvignon is often known as "Cab Sav,"
Chardonnay as "Chard" and so on;[3]
this means that naming the different wines expends less superfluous
effort; it also helps to indicate the user's familiarity with wine.
Slang often involves the creation of new meanings for existing words. It
is common for such novel meanings to diverge significantly from the
standard meaning. Thus, "cool" and "hot" can both mean "very good,"
"impressive," or "good-looking".
Slang terms are often known only within a
clique
or
ingroup. For example,
Leet
("Leetspeak" or "1337") was originally popular only among certain
Internet subcultures, such as
crackers and online video gamers. During the 1990s, and into the
early 21st century, however, Leet became increasingly more commonplace
on the Internet, and it has spread outside Internet-based communication
and into spoken languages.[4]
Other types of slang include
SMS language used on mobile phones, and "chatspeak," (e.g., "LOL",
an acronym meaning "laughing out loud" or "laugh out loud" or
ROFL, "rolling on the floor laughing"), which are widely used in
instant messaging on the Internet.[5]
Etymology
The origin of the word slang is uncertain. It has a connection
with
Thieves' cant, and the earliest attested use (1756) refers to the
vocabulary of "low or disreputable" people. Beyond that, however, its
origin is unclear. A Scandinavian origin has been proposed (compare, for
example, Norwegian slengenavn, which means "nickname"), but is
discounted by the
Oxford English Dictionary based on "date and early associations".[6]
See also
People
-
G. Vernon Bennett, Pomona, California, school superintendent,
orders "anti-slang week," 1915
References
External links