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The Influence of Local Cultures and Languages on Slang. The evolution of slang in different regions underscores the profound influence of local cultures, histories, and social dynamics. Slang terms often arise from specific societal contexts, encapsulating shared experiences, values, and attitudes. In ESL environments, the interplay between ...
May 23, 2022 · Do you hear about slang words, but can't really figure them out enough to recognize them? No worries: Browse this list of slang examples and get better acquainted.
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slang, unconventional words or phrases that express either something new or something old in a new way. It is flippant, irreverent, indecorous; it may be indecent or obscene. Its colourful metaphors are generally directed at respectability, and it is this succinct, sometimes witty, frequently impertinent social criticism that gives slang its characteristic flavour. Slang, then, includes not just words but words used in a special way in a certain social context. The origin of the word slang itself is obscure; it first appeared in print around 1800, applied to the speech of disreputable and criminal classes in London. The term, however, was probably used much earlier.
Other related types of nonstandard word usage include cant and jargon, synonyms for vague and high-sounding or technical and esoteric language not immediately intelligible to the uninitiate. In England, the term cant still indicates the specialized speech of criminals, which, in the United States, is more often called argot. The term dialect refers to language characteristic of a certain geographic area or social class.
Slang emanates from conflicts in values, sometimes superficial, often fundamental. When an individual applies language in a new way to express hostility, ridicule, or contempt, often with sharp wit, he may be creating slang, but the new expression will perish unless it is picked up by others. If the speaker is a member of a group that finds that hi...
Civilized society tends to divide into a dominant culture and various subcultures that flourish within the dominant framework. The subcultures show specialized linguistic phenomena, varying widely in form and content, that depend on the nature of the groups and their relation to each other and to the dominant culture. The shock value of slang stems largely from the verbal transfer of the values of a subculture to diametrically opposed values in the dominant culture. Names such as fuzz, pig, fink, bull, and dick for policemen were not created by officers of the law. (The humorous “dickless tracy,” however, meaning a policewoman, was coined by male policemen.)
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Slang Through the Ages Vocabulary Quiz
Occupational groups are legion, and while in most respects they identify with the dominant culture, there is just enough social and linguistic hostility to maintain group solidarity. Terms such as scab, strike-breaker, company-man, and goon were highly charged words in the era in which labour began to organize in the United States; they are not used lightly even today, though they have been taken into the standard language.
In addition to occupational and professional groups, there are many other types of subcultures that supply slang. These include sexual deviants, narcotic addicts, ghetto groups, institutional populations, agricultural subsocieties, political organizations, the armed forces, Gypsies, and sports groups of many varieties. Some of the most fruitful sources of slang are the subcultures of professional criminals who have migrated to the New World since the 16th century. Old-time thieves still humorously refer to themselves as FFV—First Families of Virginia.
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Most subcultures tend to draw words and phrases from the contiguous language (rather than creating many new words) and to give these established terms new and special meanings; some borrowings from foreign languages, including the American Indian tongues, are traditional. The more learned occupations or professions like medicine, law, psychology, s...
The processes by which words become slang are the same as those by which other words in the language change their form or meaning or both. Some of these are the employment of metaphor, simile, folk etymology, distortion of sounds in words, generalization, specialization, clipping, the use of acronyms, elevation and degeneration, metonymy, synecdoch...
Aug 5, 2024 · Language, the ever-evolving tapestry of human communication, reflects the dynamic nature of culture. At its most vibrant, language adapts and transforms, incorporating new expressions and shedding old ones like seasons changing their hues. One fascinating aspect of this linguistic metamorphosis is the evolution of slang—the colorful, informal ...
Apr 24, 2023 · Slang thrives on shared cultural contexts, adapting and evolving to express the unique nuances of a particular group or society. It may arise from historical events, pop culture, social and political upheavals, or even everyday experiences of people within that culture. As language adapts to new situations, phrases or words that were once ...
Example: Gaming slang like “GG” (good game) or “OP” (overpowered) have transcended the gaming community and entered general online communication. Utility and Cultural Relevance: Slang terms that fill a gap in the existing vocabulary or effectively express a new concept are more likely to be adopted.
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Aug 12, 2022 · Over the past 50 years, the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (JCCP) has notably published quite a few important pieces on the intersection of language and culture, which have contributed to our understanding of language processes today. It was once said, by German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, that “the most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world.”
