Vocabulary

Question

Can anyone classify the following words in right categories and explain the differences and applicatiosFellow - Chap - Bloke - Lad - Pal - Mate - Chief - Folk - Buddy and Dude.

Hrsanei · Accepted Answer

Hi,
It is very context dependent. They all mean very similar and can be used interchangeably for the most part.
But here are some distinctions I can think off the top of my head.

Bloke is an Australian term.
Fellow is formal. Ex. fellow countrymen, fellow Americans
Lad is poetical, Ex. lass and lad
Pal is commonly used in the phrase pen pal.
Mate is used in compound nouns, roommate, classmate, teammate and so on
Buddy and dude are very informal.

Chief does not belong to this category of words.

Hamid

Anonymous · Answer

They all are informal terms for a male person.

Fellow - the most general informal term for a male, typically used in the third person only, as in: "He's a good fellow."

Chap - suggests a good-hearted, friendly individual, typically used in the third person only: "He's a good chap."

Bloke - similar to chap, but even more so; typically used in the third person only: "He's a good bloke."

Lad - a young male, typically used in the third person: "He's a good lad."

Pal - used in address only; if used to address a stranger, this can be interpreted as unfriendly, or even threatening: "What do you think you're doing, pal?".

Mate - similar to chap and bloke, used in the third person or in address: "He's a good mate." "What do you say, mate?".

Chief - implies the person is someone who projects an air of authority or leadership, used in address only: "What do you say, chief?."

Folk - this is used in the third person only, as in: "He's good folk (a good, down-to-earth person)."

Buddy - used in address only; this is similar to "pal"; if used to address a stranger, it can be interpreted as unfriendly or threatening: "What do you think you're doing, buddy?".

Dude - used by teenagers or young men to address their close friends only, used in address only: "Hey, dude, what's going on?"; if used to address a stranger, it is interpreted as contemptuous or disrespectful.

Blue Jay · Answer

hrsaneiBloke is an Australian term. Fellow is formal. Ex. fellow countrymen, fellow Americans Lad is poetical, Ex. lass and lad Pal is commonly used in the phrase pen pal. Mate is used in compound nouns, roommate, classmate, teammate and so on Buddy and dude are very informal. Chief does not belong to this category of words.

Hmm, I'm not sure I entirely agree with your assessment, Hamid. It reflects US usage, but not British usage. Buddy and dude are more common in American English than British, but the rest are in common use in the UK.
Bloke originated in the UK, and is widely used there as an informal term for a man.
Fellow is used in the UK as an informal term for a man.
Lass and lad are still used in the UK. They are sometimes used as a term of address, and lads is quite commonly used to refer to, or address, a group of (usually young) men.
Pal and mate are used in the UK to mean a friend, and as informal terms of address.
Chief is sometimes used in the UK as an informal term of address to a man, especially to one who is in some way your superior.

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