BRITISHSLANG AND ITS CLASSIFICATION
PLAN
I.INTRODUCTION
1.1Tasks of the course work
1.2Definition of slang
II.MAINPART
2.1The origin of slang.
2.2Types of slang.
a) Cockney rhyming slang
b)Polari
c)Internetslang
d)Slangof army, police
e)Moneyslang
2.3. Phoneticpeculiarities of slang
2.4. Morphologicalcharacteristics of slang
III.PRACTICALPART
IV.CONCLUSION
V.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Slang is alanguage which takes off its coat,
spits on itshands - and goes to work.
CarlSandburg
I.INTRODUCTION
1.1 Tasks ofthe course work
The understanding of the native speakers 'language is the internationalproblem for our people. Our secondary schools teach the students only the basesof the English language. Our universities do not prepare them to the Britishstreets, accommodations, pubs where people use their own language, the languagethat differs from that of their parents. They use other words-they use slang.None of the most advanced and flexible ways of teaching English of any countrycan catch modern quickly developing English.
Some scholars divide the English language into two different languages:the Standard English language and slang. This fact proves that slang comes tobe a very numerous part of English. Ignorance of slang causes a greatmiscommunication between students and native speakers.
The language of the previous centuries contrasts from the modernlanguage. The life does not freeze in the same position. It always develops.And it makes the language develop too. That is why the present work is devotedto this social phenomenon.
The aim of my course paper is to analyze different approaches to thedefinition of slang, to determine the most important groups of the British slang,to show its lexical, phonetic and morphological peculiarities.
The object of my study is the wealth of English language, ambiguity ofits vocabulary and the most common rules of slang usage in Britain.
The subjects of my research are various points of view on slang, itshistory and types and linguistic characteristics common for the British slang.
Choosing thetopic of my investigation I `m perfectly aware of the fact that slang isunlimited so it is almost impossible to analyze every word of it. I hope tosummarize different points of view on slang and it is my hope that more readersshould discover this interesting layer of the English language. Although thework could hardly cover all the aspects of the phenomenon the task is asexciting as challenging.
To achieve the set aim I determine the following tasks:
1. to search the origin of slang;
2. to study the words 'transition through English vocabulary;
3. to study the problem of the classification of slang;
4. to understand the aim of the modern usage of slang;
5. to distinguish different kinds of slang;
6. to study the ways of slang word-formation;
7. to analyze phonetic peculiarities of slang;
8. to compare the results of the analysis.
1.2 Definitionof slang
Every adultspeaker has a concept of slang - knowing at the least that some words andexpressions transgress generally accepted norms of formality or appropriatenessand in some way do not fit the measure of what "good" language is. Despitesuch recognition by almost all speakers, scholars with formal training inlinguistic analysis have almost ignored slang - though they acknowledge havingthe same intuitions about this type of vocabulary as do all speakers. In truth,most linguists have given no more thought to slang than have people who claimno expertise in language. In the English-speaking world in particular, thedescription of the form and function of slang has been left largely tolexicographers rather than to others who study language for a living.
Webster's "ThirdNew International Dictionary "gives the following definition of the term slang:
1. Languagepeculiar to a particular group as:
a) the specialand often secret vocabulary used by a class (as thieves, beggars) and usuallyfelt to be vulgar or inferior: argot;
b) the jargonused by or associated with a particular trade, profession, or field ofactivity.
2. A non-standard vocabularycomposed of words and senses characterized primary by connotations of extremeinformality and usually a currency not limited to a particular region andcomposed typically of coinages or arbitrarily changed words, clipped orshortened forms, extravagant, forced or facetious figures of speech, or verbalnovelties usually experiencing quick popularity and relatively rapid declineinto disuse.
The "NewOxford English Dictionary "defines slang as follows:
a) the specialvocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable character;language of a low and vulgar type;
b) the cant orjargon of a certain class or period;
c) language ofa highly colloquial type considered as below the level of standard educatedspeech, and consisting either of new words or of current words employed in somespecial sense. "
As it is seenfrom these quotations slang is represented both as a special vocabulary and asa special language. This causes confusion. If this is a certain lexical layer,than why should it be given the rank of language or a dialect of even a patois,and then it should be characterized not only by its peculiar use of words butalso by phonetic, morphological and syntactical peculiarities.
In general alllinguists agree that slang is nonstandard vocabulary composed of words orsenses characterized primarily by connotations of extreme informality andusually by a currency not limited to a particular region. It is composedtypically of coinages or arbitrarily changed words, clipped or shortened forms,extravagant, forced, or facetious figures of speech, or verbal novelties. Theyare identified and distinguished by contrasting them to standard literaryvocabulary. They are expressive, mostly ironical words serving to create freshnames for some things that are frequent topics of discourse. [1]
Slang consistsof the words and expressions that have escaped from the cant, jargon and argot(And to a lesser extent from dialectal, nonstandard, and taboo speech) ofspecific subgroups of society so that they are known and used by an appreciablepercentage of the general population, even though the words and expressionsoften retain some associations with the subgroups that originally used andpopularized them. Thus, slang is a middle ground for words and expressions thathave become too popular to be any longer considered as part of the morerestricted categories, but that are not yet (and may never become) acceptableor popular enough to be considered informal or standard. (Compare the slang"Hooker" and the standard "prostitute.")
Slang fills anecessary niche in all languages. It can serve as a bridge or a barrier, eitherhelping both old and new words that have been used as "insiders '"terms by a specific group of people to enter the language of the general publicor, on the other hand, preventing them from doing so. Thus, for many words,slang is a testing ground that finally proves them to be generally useful,appealing, and acceptable enough to become standard or informal. For many otherwords, slang is a testing ground that shows them to be too restricted in use,not as appealing as standard synonyms, or unnecessary, frivolous, faddish, orunacceptable for standard or informal speech. For still a third group of wordsand expressions, slang becomes not a final testing ground that either acceptsor rejects them for general use but becomes a vast limbo, a permanent holdingground, an area of ​​speech that a word never leaves
Slang wordscanno...
