Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo (see euphemism). It is also used to identify with one's peers.
Contents 1 Defining slang 2 Extent and origins of slang 3 Distinction between slang and colloquialisms 4 Etymology 5 See also 6 References 7 External links // Defining slangFew linguists have endeavored 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 is 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 the discomfort caused by the conventional item or by further elaboration.1Slang should be distinguished from jargon, which is the technical vocabulary of a particular profession. 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 a given field.citation needed
Extent and origins of slangSlang can be regional in that it is used only in a particular territory, but slang terms are often particular 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." While some words eventually lose their status as slang (the word "mob", for example, began as a slang shortening of Latin mobile vulgus2), others continue to be considered as such by most speakers. When slang spreads beyond the group or subculture that originally uses it, its original users often replace it with other, less-recognized terms to maintain group identity.
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 Californian wine connoisseurs (and other groups), 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.
Even within a single language community, slang, and the extent to which it is used, tends to vary widely across social, ethnic, economic, and geographic strata. Slang may fall into disuse over time; sometimes, however, it grows more and more common until it becomes the dominant way of saying something, at which time it usually comes to be regarded as mainstream, acceptable language (e.g. the Spanish word caballo), although in the case of taboo words there may be no expression that is considered mainstream or acceptable. Numerous slang terms pass into informal mainstream speech, and sometimes into formal speech, though this may involve a change in meaning or usage.
Slang very often involves the creation of novel 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 is widely used in instant messaging on the Internet.
Distinction between slang and colloquialismsSome linguists make a distinction between slangisms (slang words) and colloquialisms. According to Ghil'ad Zuckermann, "slang refers to informal (and often transient) lexical items used by a specific social group, for instance teenagers, soldiers, prisoners and thieves. Slang is not the same as colloquial (speech), which is informal, relaxed speech used on occasion by any speaker; this might include contractions such as 'you’re,' as well as colloquialisms. A colloquialism is a lexical item used in informal speech; whilst the broadest sense of the term ‘colloquialism’ might include slangism, its narrow sense does not. Slangisms are often used in colloquial speech but not all colloquialisms are slangisms. One method of distinguishing between a slangism and a colloquialism is to ask whether most native speakers know the word (and use it); if they do, it is a colloquialism. However, the problem is that this is not a discrete, quantized system but a continuum. Although the majority of slangisms are ephemeral and often supplanted by new ones, some gain non-slang colloquial status (e.g. English silly – cf. German selig ‘blessed’, Middle High German sælde ‘bliss, luck’ and Zelda, a Jewish female first name) and even formal status (e.g. English mob)."5
Etymology This section may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (January 2010)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 slengenamn, which means "nickname"), but is discounted by the Oxford English Dictionary based on "date and early associations".6
See also A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew Register Diner lingo References ^ a b Dumas, Bethany K. and Lighter, Jonathan (1978) "Is Slang a Word for Linguists?" American Speech 53 (5): 14-15. ^ Online Etymological Dictionary ^ Croft, William (2000) Explaining Language Change: An Evolutionary Approach. Harlow: Longman: 75-6. ^ Mitchell, Anthony (December 6, 2005). "A Leet Primer". http://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html#. Retrieved 2007-11-05. ^ See p. 21 in ‘‘Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew’’, by Zuckermann, Ghil’ad, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. ^ "Online Etymological Dictionary". http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=slang. Retrieved 4 March 2010. ;"Oxford English Dictionary". http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50226993?query_type=word&queryword=slang. Retrieved 4 March 2010. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Slang The Online Slang Dictionary - American and English terms, features other statistical information SlangSite.com - Non-explicit American terms Urban Dictionary - Contributions by users, mostly US-terms, comprehensive but containing large amount of explicit languageFind definitions for slang terms and submit words for others to see. Includes a slang term of the day, illustrating images, and sound files of how terms are pronounced.
www.urbandictionary.com
N-Dubz drop the British street slang in their lyrics for their US launch.
but they gained popularity because they re a convenient shorthand Still it was a shock when today during a meeting one of my bosses wrote me a note which began did u understand Indeed So if the text is viral enough to have meaning amongst a large selection of the populace are we undermining the purpose of folksonomy by editing out the slang
SLANG DAT FT. TANTANA RED
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions: The Most Up-to-Date Reference for the Nonstandard Usage, Popular Jargon, and Vulgarisms of Contempos (McGraw-Hill ESL References) McGraw-Hill
slang n. A kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are
www.answers.com/topic/slang
RAPPERS N-Dubz are dropping their English street slang as they try to make it in America
cool instead of the real definition of tight I just think sometimes let some things go there are more important issues in a school then worrying about a student using the term swagger
Re: Blip -- Row Mens and Acrid Ducks!!!!
Slang Rules!: A Practical Guide for English Learners (Practical Guides for English Learners) Merriam-Webster
Dictionary of slang, webspeak, made-up words, and colloquialisms submitted by users. Browse slang by letter, or submit your own favorite phrases.
www.slangsite.com
Clare Bowditch is back from Berlin, interviewing Julia Gillard and has brought with her some friends in the form of her band 'the new slang'.
SEDONA JONES B 02 PINKISH ORANGE RED ORG BRD $9 SHORT POEM MULLIN 00 PEACH PINK SHERBET PEACH BRDS $7 SILK LINGERE WILLOTT 91 APRICOT $4 SLANG KEPPEL 02 YELLOW ORANGE VEINED PUMPKIN $9 SMELL THE ROSES BYERS 88 VIOLET BLUE DEPENDABLE REBLOOM IN ZONE 5 $5
jamaica zee slang Branko
Knickers in a Twist: A Dictionary of British Slang Canongate U.S.
Slang definition, very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ord See more.
dictionary.reference.com/
Cor blimey! Cockney rhyming slang may have originated as a cryptolect to confound outsiders, occasionally including the law. If so, it failed, as most of it is widely understood far beyond Bow Bells.
I natt kom tio millimeter vårregn Nu behöver min far inte vattna i trädgården
Love me (hair)Do
Dictionary of American Slang Collins
Translations of slang. slang synonyms, slang antonyms. Information about slang in the free online English dictionary and encyclopedia. british slang, hip hop...
www.thefreedictionary.com/
MORGANTOWN (West Virginia) - MICROSOFT Corp and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologising to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay - a name the company considered offensive. The town's name is real. But when Josh Moore tried to tell Seattle-based Microsoft and the ...
Tracklist 01 Yung Fresh Southern Slang Freestyle 02 Gucci Mane Wasted Feat Plies 03 Gucci Mane Do It Feat Shawty Lo Busta Rhymes
British Slang
Dirty Spanish: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" (Dirty Everyday Slang) Ulysses Press
Microsoft Encarta states: "slang expressions often embody attitudes and values of group members. ... Slang expressions are created in basically the same way as standard speech. ...
www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/
The French market for halal goods is nearly twice as big as the market for organic food.
Jay-Z - What We Do (Ft. Freeway & Beanie Sigel) ...
American Slang Dictionary, Fourth Edition (McGraw-Hill ESL References) McGraw-Hill
México City-Slang, the creator of video game inspired by AAA, Lucha ... The SME recognizes Slang for the development of the video game 'AAA Wrestling 2010: Heroes of the Ring' ...
www.slang.vg
This is one police car you can't miss, with its wild designs, strobe lights, dark tints and 22-inch rims.
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Mexican Slang Plus Graffiti Sunbelt Publications
Online guide to American slang, including explanations of popular songs and movies, bad words, body parts, and more.
www.slangcity.com
Microsoft Corp. and Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the Xbox code of conduct by declaring he's from Fort Gay.
en wees alert Kousebandslangen hebben de neiging om elkaars eten uit de bek te stelen Dit kan tot gevolg hebben dat de ene de andere per ongeluk opeet Bij de foto Van Yvon van het Garter and Ribbon Forum van Kingsnake com mocht ik deze foto plaatsen
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Dirty Russian: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" (Dirty Everyday Slang) Ulysses Press
Slang is informal, often entertaining, language
www.manythings.org/slang
Now that the kids are back in school, two local theater institutions known more for their devotion to the wholesome are rolling out shows with distinctly adult leanings.
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Weeds Season 6 Episode 1 Part 9 of 10
Dictionary of Spanish Slang and Colloquial Expressions Barron's Educational Series
Microsoft, Xbox Live Apologize to Gamer Suspended for Declaring He's from Fort Gay - Even Though Town is Real
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