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- Over time, some slang words become so widely used that they are accepted as part of the standard language. The journey from slang to standard is not always smooth, as there is often resistance from traditionalists who view these words as a degradation of the language.
www.wordstrivia.com/definitions/from-slang-to-standard-the-evolution-of-words-in-everyday-languageLanguage Evolution: From Slang to Standard Words - Words Trivia
What is perhaps less well known is how this word became our default term for vocabulary that is very colloquial or informal, used in formal contexts by linguists and lexicographers alike to label words and phrases as somehow nonstandard.
Dec 16, 2021 · When words are adopted as slang, the number of possible meanings expands rather than narrows. Additionally, other slang words with the same meaning as cool are constantly being created and used. For example, “that’s lit” has been a slang term since the 1910s.
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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...
May 19, 2022 · The journey from slang to accepted language is long, winding, and can often be unpredectible. What does it take to make the jump from slang to standard?
Slang terms often arise from specific societal contexts, encapsulating shared experiences, values, and attitudes. In ESL environments, the interplay between English and local languages not only enriches the vocabulary but also provides insights into cultural identity and linguistic creativity.
May 27, 2024 · Slang terms can be short-lived or become part of everyday vocabulary, reflecting shifts in culture, technology, and social dynamics. Slang is a way for individuals to establish group identity, display camaraderie, and sometimes even challenge established norms.
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Over time, some slang words become so widely used that they are accepted as part of the standard language. The journey from slang to standard is not always smooth, as there is often resistance from traditionalists who view these words as a degradation of the language.
