Search results
Aug 30, 2023 · Extra. Most commonly used to describe a person who is over-the-top in some way, dramatic, or “doing the most,” “extra” has become somewhat of a fixture when it comes to Millennial slang ...
- Slang Words Need to End
Read on for slang words we’d love to see the end of by 2021!...
- Regional Slang From Different States in America
We can’t stand these slang words from 2019. 4 / 13. Tatiana...
- Slang Words Need to End
- Overview
- Development of slang
- Creators of slang
- Sources
- Linguistic processes forming slang
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.)
Britannica Quiz
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.
Are you a student? Get Britannica Premium for only 24.95 - a 67% discount!
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...
Apr 20, 2018 · Over the past couple of decades, many slang words have come from three specific sources. These are popular music, politics, and the Internet. Popular music, especially rap and hip hop, has led to many slang words. Lyricists contribute by coming up with more creative ways to express themselves. Politics has also given rise to numerous slang words.
Aug 7, 2024 · This decade was a melting pot of resilience and innovation, where slang terms bubbled up from the battlefields, glittered under Hollywood's spotlights and peppered everyday conversations. A-1: Excellent or first-class. Applesauce: Nonsense or flattery. Beat feet: To leave quickly. Big cheese: An important person.
- Slang is informal or local words, usages and phrases that are made up and used by a particular group of people. Slang is widely used by teenagers a...
- Some of the famous 1920 slang terms are gams (legs), hotsy-totsy (flawless or perfect), bee’s knees (outstanding), 23 skiddoo (to get going) and th...
- Some older people think slang is too informal and disrespectful, but there’s nothing inherently bad about slang. The only time it really shouldn’t...
In the 1750s we see it gaining a new name, slang, and a new, linguistic branch of development opens up for that word. In 1756 we are told that ‘Thomas Throw had been upon the town, knew the slang well’, had worked as an attendant in gambling dens, ‘and understood every word in the scoundrel’s dictionary’. 1758 gives us our first ...
Jul 29, 2021 · Looking to understand the history of American slang words? Learn what you need to know by looking at some examples of slang words and how they came about.
Jan 5, 2024 · Slang is a type of language that typically consists of very informal words. Slang is often humorous, a little rude or very obscene, though this isn’t always the case. Slang words are more often spoken than written—though written slang definitely does exist, especially on social media. You can often identify cultural, social and even age ...
People also ask
Where do slang words come from?
What is a slang word?
What is slang etymology?
Do slang words exist?
Why do people use slang?
What does slang mean in sales?
