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Carl Sandburg. “Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and gets down to work”. G K Chesterton. “All slang is metaphor and all metaphor is poetry” . Slang – noun.
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Carl Sandburg “Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and gets down to work”
G K Chesterton “All slang is metaphor and all metaphor is poetry”
Slang –noun 1. very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language, as Hit the road. 2. (in English and some other languages) speech and writing characterized by the use of vulgar and socially taboo vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. 3. the jargon of a particular class, profession, etc. 4. the special vocabulary of thieves, vagabonds, etc.; argot.
Slang is... • Slang changes through time • Slang varies from place to place • Slang is NOT dialect – although dialect words can ‘escape the dialect box’ and become part of general language • Slang is NOT swearing – swearing is ALWAYS taboo – slang is not restricted to taboo • Slang is creative • Slang is often short lived • Slang is the glue that ‘holds’ a group together or alienates others – SOCIAL SOLIDARITY / DIVERGENCE • Slang can be anti- language • Slang is ancient – seen in Shakespeare’s plays
What is Slang? Slang is actually ancient – examples can be sited in Chaucer and Shakespeare. Each generation creates its own slang. The term slang is thought to have evolved from the term Thieve’s Language. • THIEVE/SLANG/UAGE
Slang is creative short lived and the glue that binds groups together - SOLIDARITY / IDENTITY/ ACCOMMODATION THEORY A Gas Bag Blast Bread Bummed out Cat Dig A Drag Far Out Heat Heavy Pig Split • It’s a gas man(A lot of fun) • What's your bag(where are you coming from / what do you mean?.) • We had a blast( a great time) • You need lots of bread for thatman(Money) • I’m completely bummed out( Depressed) • I know this really cool cat ….. (A guy) • Do you dig it?(Do you understand?) • What a drag man (boring) • Far out man(strange/ unusual) • Watch out for the heat man(The police) • This is a heavy scene(philosophical, intellectual) • The pigs are all over(police) • I need to split this scene (leave this place)
The Test of Time... • None of these have really survived the test of time • That is the point of youth culture slang – it has to change to keep DIVERGING from mainstream in order to maintain COVERT STATUS and in order to establish IDENTITY AND SOLIDARITY • What slang do you use? Will it stand the test of time?
Slang is a language that excludes others – shows membership of a group (SOLIDARITY) – is a secret language – reduces seriousness – is euphemistic In the days when patients had no access to their own medical records, some slang recorded uncomplimentary or non-technical observations about them. In hospitals, morbid humour, irreverence and euphemism is a way of coping with daily exposure to injury, disease and death- BLACK HUMOUR
Slang is a secret language • This site – The Office on National Drug Control - actually had 647 street terms for marijuana – I’ve isolated a very small selection • Drug slang changes all the time – the point is to be secret – for example to identify undercover police / investigators.
Probably the most prolific type of slang is sexual slang – REMEMBER sex is a taboo in our culture - the slang can either be euphemistic or dysphemistic backseat roll; ball; to ball; bang the box; bang your brains out; banging your beaver; banging bones; bang the hell out of it; being in the saddle;bingo; birds and bees; bird doggin’; blowin' a load; boff; boffin; boing; boink; boom-boom; bone dancing; boogie; bouncing bellies; bring the log to the beaver; bucking; bump and grind; bumping; bumpin' fuzzies; bumping pretties; bumpin’ rugs; bumpin’ uglies; bury the bologna; bury the hatchet where it won't rust; bush diving; busting guts; catch the weasel; dip the (your) wick; dirty deed; doink; doing it doggie style; doggin; do the Big Bony Morone; doing the dirty deed; doing the funky monkey; doing the wild thing; doink; doinking; do work; drill; drilling for oil; exploratory surgery; filling the box; flesh injection; fooling around; fourth base; fuzz bump; get down and dirty; get freaky; get into someone's pants; getting it on ; getting horizontal; getting laid; getting lucky; hot beef injection; hump; humpin' and bumpin'; jump on someone's bones ; pork; ramming home; riding; score; screw; slapping tummies; slipping between the lily whites; spreading thefolds; stable-my- naggie; stoop; "taking it"; take a turn on Mount Pleasant; take Nebuchadnezzar out to grass; take a turn in Bushy Park; take the old one-eye to the optometrist; take the skin boat to tuna town; taking a ride; the in and out; thwacking; throwing chalk; throwing the pork; two moon junction; tube steak boogie; turning a trick (prostitute's term); wet the worm; wham, bam, thank you ma'am; wheel; whopping; wild thing; work it; working it.
Why is slang different to swearing? There is always confusion about what is slang and what is swearing. In general swear words are defined by the following: • Refers to something that is taboo / stigmatised in a culture • Should not be interpreted literally • Can be used to express strong emotions / attitudes.
What is Swearing? • What about blasphemy? ( God, Jesus, Christ) - Perhaps it’s best to class these as PROFANITY? • Incest and cannibalism are taboo in our culture but there are no words classed as swear words – WHY don’t we have any swear words for these? • Generally we class the following as swear words – NOTE DIFFERENT CULTURES MAY REACT TO THE WORDS DIFFERENTLY – for example BUGGER is not classed as a swear word in New Zealand. • AND actually few people realise that BUGGER and SOD are far worse semantically speaking than the F word.
Profanities The relative severity of British profanities, as perceived by the public, was studied on behalf of the British Broadcasting Standards Commission, Independent Television Commission, BBC and Advertising Standards Authority; the results of this jointly commissioned research were published in December 2000 in a paper called "Delete Expletives". It listed the profanities in order of severity, the top ten being: c***, motherfucker, fuck, wanker, nigger, bastard, prick, bollocks, arsehole, and paki, in that order. 83% of respondents regarded c*** as "very severe" THIS MAY BE SIGNIFICANT IN TERMS OF CULTURAL ATTITUDES
Slang is... • Slang changes through time • Slang varies from place to place – MLE • Slang is NOT dialect – although dialect words can ‘escape the dialect box’ and become part of general language • Slang is NOT swearing – swearing is ALWAYS taboo – slang is not restricted to this. • Slang is creative • Slang is often short lived • Slang is the glue that ‘holds’ a group together or alienates others – SOCIAL SOLIDARITY / DIVERGENCE • Slang can be anti- language • Slang is ancient – seen in Shakespeare’s plays