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             What is slang? "Slang occurs chiefly in a casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect              (Dictionary.Com)." I define slang as a living language that evolves with time. Although it can be very useful among peers and those from the same culture, in more formal settings it can cause confusion during communication and create problems.              Among peers, they tend to speak slang more often then others. Its understood primarily within that group. For the most part, they grew up in the similar neighborhoods, around the similar people, dealing with similar issues. They also share a commonality within taste of music, fashion, and other forms of entertainment. Many of celebrities don't make it easy for the youth to stop the usage of slang, mainly because they use it in their lyrics in which the youth emulate. In this way, slang has enabled them to communicate thoroughly with one another.              Culture plays a role in the confusion of slang. Words have contrasting interpretations depending on the cultural background. Such as, in America, the word yo is used as a greeting. If said in a Spanish-speaking country it would take on the meaning of I. Two decades ago, the word chips referred to money in American slang. In England however, chips refers to what we call "French fries". In this way slang can be very confusing because the proper meaning may not be conveyed. Also, it makes it more difficult for other cultures to mix with American culture, and vice versa.              Slang can be a barrier to communication. The confusion lies in the translation of the word being used. A slang term used today may have a different meaning than the one used several years ago. For example, the word down has two different meanings. When used in the context of are you down, it can tran              ...

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African American Slang

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To Kill A Mockingbird Childhood Quotes Analysis

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Definition Essay On Awesome

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Shakespere- Man Or Myth?

his own and I don’t think he ever existed. There are many facts that back up my opinion. One is where Mark Twain once said that only a riverboat captain can handle riverboat slang, and there were some things that you have to just experience. “Where would Shakespeare, have learned the lawyer slang, court slang, soldier slang, and all the terminology that fills the plays?”1 1Some other facts that make me believe that Shakespeare never wrote these plays is that no plays, no poems, and not a single letter

Slang Language and Its Characteristics Essay

Introduction, ebonics: an example of ‘bad grammar’ and slang, style and flexibility, the psychological aspect of ‘slang’, an alternate to boredom, characteristics of the slang users.

The word ‘slang’ throughout many decades has witnessed changes with respect to various styles, subdialects, and colloquialisms. The late 1700s was the period in which ‘slang’ meaning was developed in the nineteenth century among the Southwest Americans (Lighter, 1996). Changes – have shaped the slang language and have been influenced by individuals, relationships, and different contexts and scenarios like work, home, play, etc. Often dependant upon various moods, the groups that have been most influenced and through which the word ‘slang’ has been influenced are the teenagers and the working group.

If we analyze the usage of slang, we would find that being a ‘flexible’ language, the scope of slang is wide enough to be adjusted into various things. Its flexibility can be evaluated in various environments to which it is often changed when consumed.

For example, in a personal relationship like the one used in between husband and wife communication, the words ‘honey’, ‘sweetie’ or ‘sweetheart’ are used. At work more formal language is required; therefore among colleagues, a particular slang that is molded in a casual context is spoken. Phrases such as ‘pain’, ‘pain in the neck, and ‘bingo’ are commonly used by American teenagers and prove the notion what Ellis (1999) conforms that teenagers’ skill over a range of styles and slang jargons indicates the extent to which they are conscious in understanding and control of these things (Ellis, 1999, p. 15).

In a cultural context, an example of ‘official’ slang is the ‘Ebonics’. Ebonics grammar is the habitual use of the verb, as in ‘I will be going to church’, which means ‘I go habitually’. West African verbs have similar structures. A phonological example is a fact that consonants and consonant clusters are often not a part of the Ebonics syllable, for example, ‘I ‘on know’ for ‘I don’t know, or ‘aight’ for ‘all right’. Such rules include the avoidance of taboo words layovers from Southern apartheid such as ‘boy’, ‘you people’. Another such rule is the approval of using Ebonics in oral or casual situations but not in written or formal situations, such as in textbooks (Perry & Delpit, 1998, p. 72).

When used as a vocabulary, slang is utilized in many aspects of style which again is dependant upon users’ culture, subcultures, and environment. When used in cliques, slang tends to develop its own vocabulary. In Washington DC, Milner (2004) mentions that he can still remember the group of students who decided to create a word with no meaning and start using it to see the reaction of others, surprisingly only within a few weeks, the group noticed that people started to imitate them as they could hear people using this word, although they had no idea of what it meant or what context to use it in” (Milner, 2004, p. 49).

Slang words when used among teenage students possess certain characteristics in which the most common ones are 1) The slang they use is of high standards for the reason that higher status groups sometimes attempted to make copying more difficult. 2) The higher the standard would be the lesser would be the probability to learn or imitate slang words, which is a symbol of pride for teenagers. 3) It is easier for the teenagers to grasp and develop a full command over slang language therefore in this way they are capable of developing their own ‘style’ which paces them ‘unique’ among other fellows and friends. Probably this way they are able to build up their own image in front of the opposite gender.

Among teenagers, particularly teenager students, slang upholds a distinct psychological and psychosocial aspect. It would be better to say that the way slang has penetrated into teenagers’ lives captures more attention than what they learn at their homes and another social environment since childhood. Therefore in precise stylistic manner slang conforms to the variance from time to time and from subgroup to subgroup. By conformity, one might understand the commonalities that exist behind the ‘slang’, resistant to some set of norms that are seen as imposed usually by parents and schools.

The psychological impact of using and listening to slang words made us think in diverse directions. That means it has multiple effects on student’s communication modes and on building student’s personalities. Some students use slang in order to acquire attention while others use the term to describe resistance. Resistance could be from the school side or it could be from home. It could also be presenting or not some kind of adult authority, but to a great extent slang words usage indicates those who experience peer pressure or if not, they must be subjected to some kind of failure in school.

Many schools consider as ‘smart’ those bully teenagers who are overconfident and are considered ‘cool’ in slang terminology as long as one shows resistance to them in other ways. Such teenagers consider slang terminologies to be their best friends; this could also be seen in many movies and books. Even in real life such as wild teenagers, other parents do not like their children to be with. Such teenagers mostly belong to the minority groups in urban ghettos who often involve other substantial numbers of white teenagers in suburban areas.

For students who are somehow involved in the political counter norms, slang serves as an added advantage in reckoning them among those who express resistance to established authorities or conventional customs and involves the creation of a set of alternative or counter norms. Such individuals, through proper utilization of slang, are able to conceal their ‘capabilities’ in resistant subcultures-whether they are teenage cliques, Communist Party cells, or persecuted religious sects-high levels of conformity are demanded to the norms of the deviant group.

Slang is not only adopted as a weapon, on some political or status-seeking ground but it is also seen utilizing and benefiting those students who are committed to conventional notions of their career management or education like those who seek success in college education, or those who already possess some good name and in search of a good job wants to impress others, etc. Often students are heard saying that ‘slang’ words or a lifestyle deviant from slang are not worth living as it is the next best option not to getting bored after going out with friends.

It is the slang for the teenager students who believe that boredom can only be get rid of by associating it with behaviors that welcome slang thereby annoying to authorities-throwing food, jokes in class, a surly manner, and are not serious enough to bring significant retribution. What teenagers seek in slang words is the cultivation of an alternative lifestyle that advocates indifference to what is valued in the existing dominant culture. While teenagers often want to set themselves off from others, at other times and in other contexts they want to create connections and establish solidarity with those who are not members of their immediate status group.

Upon close observance, it was found out that the students who explicitly mentioned as hippies, skaters, and freaks come under the basic type of slang promoters. The second category was fulfilled by ‘whiz’ kids who have more ‘brains’ and are considered as ‘intellectuals’ in their schools or colleges. Many intellectuals like to be socialized, therefore they lunch together, but some participate in other lifestyle groups. The third slang users were those white students who though do not belong to the preps, the rednecks, or one of the alternative groups, but were ‘average’. The main thing is that every slang teenage user irrespective of age or peer group liked to associate himself or herself to his or her senior group.

Regarding slang usage when public school settings were enquired about the opportunities to speak with secondary school teachers and principals about the implications of jargon for the secondary school, it was revealed that many students only use abusive language or jargon for they do not have parents to talk to about sexual questions and issues turn to their teachers and other adults in the school as their confidants (Carroll, 1999, p. 99).

For example, one middle school peer counseling coordinator when discussed how her students regularly ask her questions about sexual jargon they hear from their peers replied that students tell her they would rather confide in her than their parents. So, there are numerous conditions under which slang language is spoken and understood, now being optimistic or pessimistic, depends upon the user how he uses it.

Carroll S. Pamela, (1999) Using Literature to Help Troubled Teenagers Cope with Societal Issues : Greenwood Press: Westport, CT.

Ellis G. Donald, (1999) From Language to Communication : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.

Lighter, J. E., (1996) “A Lot of Nonsense” In: Magazine Title The Atlantic Monthly . Volume: 277. Issue: 6: p. 128.

Milner Murray, (2004) Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids: American Teenagers, Schools, and the Culture of Consumption : Routledge: New York.

Perry Theresa & Delpit Lisa, (1998) The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language, and the Education of African-American Children : Beacon Press: Boston.

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Essays on Slang

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Examples and Meanings of British English Slang Words

An analysis in the slang use of older and younger people, defining difference between two slang words: quid vs pound , twitter posts of male and female: the use of slang and emotions, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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The Use of French and American Slang in Hip Hop Music

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5.8 Slang and Idioms

Learning objectives.

• Recognize slang and idioms.
• Learn to avoid using slang and idioms in formal writing.

Words are the basis of how a reader or listener judges you, the writer and speaker. When you write an academic paper or speak in a business interview, you want to be sure to choose your words carefully. In our casual, everyday talk, we often use a lot of “ums,” “likes,” “yeahs,” and so on. This everyday language is not appropriate for formal contexts, such as academic papers and business interviews. You should switch between different ways of speaking and writing depending on whether the context is formal or informal.

Hey guys, let’s learn about slang and other cool stuff like that! It will be awesome, trust me. This section is off the hook!

What do you notice about the previous paragraph? You might notice that the language sounds informal, or casual, like someone might talk with a friend or family member. The paragraph also uses a lot of slang . Slang is a type of language that is informal and playful. It often changes over time. The slang of the past is different than the slang of today, but some slang has carried over into the present. Slang also varies by region and culture. The important thing to understand is that slang is casual talk, and you should avoid using it in formal contexts. There are literally thousands of slang words and expressions. Table 5.17 “Slang Expressions” explains just a few of the more common terms.

Table 5.17 Slang Expressions

Edit the business e-mail by replacing any slang words and phrases with more formal language.

Idioms are expressions that have a meaning different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words in the expression. Because English contains many idioms, nonnative English speakers have difficulties making logical sense of idioms and idiomatic expressions. The more you are exposed to English, however, the more idioms you will come to understand. Until then, memorizing the more common idioms may be of some help.

Table 5.18 Idioms

What if you come across an idiom that you do not understand? There are clues that can help you. They are called context clues . Context clues are words or phrases around the unknown word or phrase that may help you decipher its meaning.

Definition or explanation clue. An idiom may be explained immediately after its use.

Sentence: I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles I was so nervous .

Restatement or synonym clues. An idiom may be simplified or restated.

Sentence: The young girl felt as though she had been sent to the dog house when her mother punished her for fighting in school.

Contrast or Antonym clues. An idiom may be clarified by a contrasting phrase or antonym that is near it.

Sentence: Chynna thought the 5k marathon would be a piece of cake , but it turned out to be very difficult .

Pay attention to the signal word but , which tells the reader that an opposite thought or concept is occurring.

Key Takeaways

• Informal language is not appropriate in formal writing or speaking contexts.
• Slang and idioms might not make logical sense to nonnative speakers of English.
• It is good to be aware of slang and idioms so they do not appear in your formal writing.

Writing Application

Write a short paragraph about yourself to a friend. Write another paragraph about yourself to an employer. Examine and discuss the differences in language between the two paragraphs.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Definition Essay On Slang Word

Essay about the n-word - critics. opponents. defenders.

The n-word is considered one of the most vicious racial slurs in the English language today. True that the n-word is closely associated with slavery and the oppression of blacks. Even after the abolition of slavery the word still haunted African Americans, especially in more segregated areas; where blacks were viewed as inferior to whites. In recent years the n-word has become less of a malicious slur in parts of our country. Public figures who use the n-word run the risk of losing their jobs. However, since the 1960s African Americans have coined the term “nigga”, when addressing one another. The rise of hip hop culture also enhanced the use of the word-they felt as though they are using the word as a term of endearment. Critics of the

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Directions: Match the meaning in the right column to the correct slang term in the left column. You must complete a minimum of 10 choices. Each additional correct match earns one extra credit point.

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Many people have began to boycott SeaWorld after hearing about their cruel and unethical treatment towards their Orca whales.

Morgan State University Dialect

Currently, the student population at Morgan State University age ranges from 18-24. It was important to look at age and the culture of society to show the high usage of slang/jargon on campus. It was noticeable the differences of slang in the North and South in regards to how they say certain words. A student from Philadelphia was asked how she would know someone is from her state without he/she mentioning by the person’s use of “jawn” or “drawlin.” The term “jawn” is universally used to talked about someone or something; “Did you see the new Jordans that came out… them jawns nice”. The word “drawlin” is used to describe someone who is doing too much. In New York, they use “wildin’” to describe someone who is doing too much. Moreover, slang in the North is more similar based on their context and

Their Eyes Were Watching God Language Analysis

Slang: a type of language that consists of words that are regarded as informal, and is most common in speech, and is typically restricted to a particular context or group of people. Nearly everyday, even without noticing it, most people use slang in their speech on a daily basis. How people speak can be interpreted very differently to listeners depending on their background. Many areas have their own type of speech that usually, only people who come from that background will understand. After reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and making an FJAVE dictionary and examples, it is easy to see that speech holds so much power, especially when the people communicating are born around the same time period or if they live in the same area.

The Use Of Metonyms In Orange Is The New Black

“Prison is not an isolated institution, it is part of a continuum in the control of women, whether by our lack of access to economic independence, violence, racism or specific laws that target women such as prostitution and social security. The society that condemns the behavior of women it imprisons, yet accepts the treatment prisoners are given inside is at best hypocritical, but perhaps more correctly, sadistic” (Amanda George). The prison system takes people away from their families and communities, for petty crimes and then give harsh sentences that doesn’t match the crime that was committed. Women are placed in an oppressive and controlling environment which subjects them to be treated in a manner which society looks down on but accept and sadly, does nothing about. Correspondingly, Piper Kerman wrote a memoir “Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison”

Kenya Barris N Word Essay

Created by Kenya Barris, Blackish is a series following a suburban black family through their struggle to carve out a unique identity for themselves in this changing world. During the episode, “The Word”, Jack is threatened with expulsion after blurting out the “N-word” while singing at the school talent show. While the family tries to save Jack from expulsion, Kenya Barris utilizes historical evidence with edited in subplots in the creation of a unique perspective on this controversial topic. At the beginning of the episode, Andre narrates the history of African Americans while a series of images plays out across the screen, from the march on Washington to the institution of slavery, showing the evolution in civil rights, and in a way the evolution of this controversial word.

Words Used In The 1920's

Over the years, the slang used by teens in America has changed drastically, from simple words used to describe the appearance of another to phrases to describe being intoxicated. While comparing the words and phrases used in the 1920’s to those commonly used today, I found that there are many with the same definitions, all of which tend to be related to girls, alcohol, and making fun of others.

Kevin Rudd's Influence On Australian National Identity

Our slang is something we strongly identify by and is definitely an interesting aspect of our

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Overall wordplay can almost always result with a laugh. It takes a word that is similar to another

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A figure of speech making a statement less or more important than it really is.

Personal Essay: Phonological Analysis

This is where i get to the real way that i speak, which is my primary/public language. I picked up this technique mainly from hanging around my piers both at home and out in the world. This is what really gave me my true identity in the way i speak. I speak very proper and a bit slower for business or professional occasions so i won’t make as many mistakes. While when I’m just with my piers, we have normal conversations exchanging different slang interactions. When I’m present at a business or professional occasion my words are more up tempo and my sentences are clearer. For example, i would address everyone using “No ma’am”, “No Sir”, or “Yes ma’am”, “Yes Sir”. But with my friends I’m free to express myself in the way i speak by using slang words. For example, I use the term “bro” and “fam” a lot , which is a noun meaning brother, family member, or close friend. Using it in a sentence I would simply say “Wassup bro” or “Wassgood

African American Vernacular Essay

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of vernacular is “of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country.” In terms of African American history, the evolution of vernacular is very important and a very unique part of the culture. The African American vernacular has aided the development of a distinct culture in terms of what African Americans were subjected to from the installation of slavery. The African American vernacular was used as a way to expose the atrocities that African Americans were imperiled to through songs and language. “Go down Moses ,” a spiritual and “Strange Fruit,” performed by Billie Holiday are two songs that represent the

Noun Slang Used In The Late 18th Century

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Show More Today, in the 21st Century, slang is a comfortable language used by numerous people around the world. In a sense, slang is a social language in which primarily the youth use as a form to relate with one another, and create bonds and connections. Not only does it grant people the ability to form bonds, it also encourages one to express their individuality and define themselves as the extraordinary being that they are. Slang is widely popular in our society today, but have you ever wondered about the evolution of the language the we’ve all adopted at one point in time? In an ever-changing society there is not one thing that will remain the same. Throughout time our cities will expand, technology will progress, flowers will wilt, language will …show more content… Initially, I took the time to establish a time frame to dissect. WIth the consideration of the end of the silent film age, I decided that Silent Generation would be a brilliant place to begin, and my generation, the Millennial generation as endgame. It was then that I had to figure out which actress would be suitable to observe. Careful investigation led me to the phenomenal Luise Rainer. Born in 1910 and perishing in 2014, she was a thespian of many spectacular works who lived to be an unimaginable age of one hundred and four. Shortly after that, a comprehensive examination of her works began. I selected two films from the Silent Generation, “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936) and “The Good Earth” (1937), two shows from that of the Baby Boomer Generation (~1946-1964), “Lux Video Theatre” (1956) as well as “Combat” (1965), a single show from Generation X (~1965-1985), “The Love Boat” (1984), along with a single show from Generation Y (Millennials, ~1986- late 1990’s), “A Dancer”( 1991). After gathering an arsenal of her personal works, I searched for scripts of movies or the actual television shows anatomized …show more content… A problem that arose with this method was that the age of the entertainment didn’t allow for some of her specific episodes to be available, but I made up for this missing information with watching episodes of the same television shows of the same year but consequently not starring Luise Rainer. After previewing the works stashed in my possession, I took careful note of words that stood out, were unfamiliar, or words that were used differently from their conventional English meaning. For example, Millennials use a variety of slang words such as “gucci” to signify that something is okay or good, and “TBH,” as a shortened way to say “to be honest”. This step repeated itself until every piece of entertainment had been

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Why is of mice and men banned, digital slang essay sample, example.

Slang is a specific category of conventional language used by a relatively small group of people who share situations or interests. It consists of words and phrases that cannot be found in regular dictionaries, but possess real meaning and are used to efficiently convey information; slang words and phrases can be either completely made up, or based on existing linguistic constructions ( Boston University ).

Among the most common digital slang terms and expressions are well-known abbreviations used in electronic messaging: “bb” (bye-bye), “brb” (be right back), “lol” (laughing out loud), “idk” (I don’t know), “smh” (shaking my head), “c u m8” (see you, mate), “btw” (by the way), “u2” (you too), and so on. Although it may seem convenient to use such distortions in order to accelerate communication, in fact slang overuse poses a problem; nowadays, this can be most often noticed in the academic environment. Slang is common among students, and unfortunately it has moved from online communication to student assignments.

According to a study involving around 700 students between the ages of 12 to 17, 85% of them are actively using at least one form of electronic communication, whether through instant messaging, text messaging, or social media. Terry Wood, a foreign language teacher at St. Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Md., believes that Twitter and Facebook are among the reasons of a great decline of students’ writing abilities. “They do not capitalize words or use punctuation anymore […] Even in emails to teachers or [on] writing assignments, any word longer than one syllable is now abbreviated to one,” says Terry Wood (U.S.News).

At the same time, not all of the experts believe slang is negatively affecting linguistic and writing capabilities. Slang expert Tony Thorne thinks slang is an appropriate part of the English language. “The very nature of the English language—and what it means to be British—is its flexibility […] A long time ago, slang was about work. Market workers, carpenters, public houses, farmers had their own slang […] All groups—it doesn’t matter whether they are soldiers, policeman, criminals or whatever—always generate to some extent their own language. It’s not just to communicate information, it’s in order to include people into your group and exclude people out of your group […] Slang has not become more prevalent, simply more public,” says Tony Thorne ( BBC News ).

It is hard to deny that slang has become a part of everyday communication. It is convenient for quickly exchanging messages in the environment of the Internet; slang can also be a part of professional, cultural, or other subculture. At the same time, young people tend to use slang words in inappropriate situations (in an academic environment, for example), which, as some specialists believe, negatively affects their communication and writing capabilities. So, slang should be used where it belongs—within informal and/or small groups of people, sharing the same situations, occupations, or interests.

“Slang Guide.” Boston University. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.

Lytle, Ryan. “How Slang Affects Students in the Classroom.” U.S. News. N.p., 13 June 2011. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.

Barford, Vanessa. “Mind Your Slanguage.” BBC News. BBC, 08 Dec. 2009. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.

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