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Cool Breeze Posted 19 years ago
Linguistics Studies
Slang
"Slang is mostly made by lively, imaginative people, who are not afraid of being different from others or of breaking the accepted rules of grammar and speech. It has been called 'the plain man's poetry' and is valuable because it gives new life to old ideas. Naturally it occurs most in everyday conversation, but slang words should not be used in serious writing. A time of war suggests thousands of new slang words - most of which are forgotten after a few years; but some live on and gradually make their way into the accepted vocabulary of a language."
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"The lasting value of slang is found in those words which live on and help to keep English a vigorous and youthful language."
Unfortunately I can't give you the source of these lines because I don't know it. The author is in all likelihood dead by now. The extract is part of a translation test I had to take as a schoolboy ages ago.
Do you agree with the author about slang? What is your opinion about slang and its importance? When and where can or should one use slang - or should slang be completely avoided?
Cheers
CB
...
"The lasting value of slang is found in those words which live on and help to keep English a vigorous and youthful language."
Unfortunately I can't give you the source of these lines because I don't know it. The author is in all likelihood dead by now. The extract is part of a translation test I had to take as a schoolboy ages ago.
Do you agree with the author about slang? What is your opinion about slang and its importance? When and where can or should one use slang - or should slang be completely avoided?
Cheers
CB
Top answer
Hi Cool Breeze, Are all slang offensive? Or just like everything else under the Sun, they ying-yang across the language landscape? In my own language, Vietnamese, slang often (if not always) carry bad connotation.
- Hi Cool Breeze, Are all slang offensive?
- Or just like everything else under the Sun, they ying-yang across the language landscape?
- In my own language, Vietnamese, slang often (if not always) carry bad connotation.
- From afar or in a neutral position, slang help enrich and rejuvenate the language.
- If slang are created for offensive purposes, I would consider them as language potholes.
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3 Answers
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Hi Cool Breeze,
Are all slang offensive? Or just like everything else under the Sun, they ying-yang across the language landscape? In my own language, Vietnamese, slang often (if not always) carry bad connotation.
From afar or in a neutral position, slang help enrich and rejuvenate the language. If slang are created for offensive purposes, I would consider them as language pot
Are all slang offensive? Or just like everything else under the Sun, they ying-yang across the language landscape? In my own language, Vietnamese, slang often (if not always) carry bad connotation.
From afar or in a neutral position, slang help enrich and rejuvenate the language. If slang are created for offensive purposes, I would consider them as language pot
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Hoa Thai In my own language, Vietnamese, slang often (if not always) carry bad connotation.It is my experience that in SE Asia a high premium is placed on using correct* language. I suspect that this is because "correct speech" is one of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism.
* "Correct" here implies "conforming to social norms" a
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ForbesHoa Thai In my own language, Vietnamese, slang often (if not always) carry bad connotation.It is my experience that in SE Asia a high premium is placed on using correct* language. I suspect that this is because "correct speech" is one of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism.
* "Correct" here implies
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