Slang and its place

Så fungerar det

We want to understand slang and control when we use it. Slang is informal, often short-lived vocabulary that signals belonging to a group: chuffed, knackered, peng. It can be vivid and precise among friends, but in formal contexts it may confuse or seem disrespectful.

Rewriting a text in another register shows real command of a language. Notice what changes: vocabulary, contractions, sentence length, directness and politeness. When you comment on your choices, name the features: I replaced the phrasal verb with a single formal verb.

Slang: I'm well knackered, can't be bothered. Formal: I am extremely tired and do not feel able to continue.

Why slang never stays still

Every generation seems to invent words that older people do not understand. In the 1920s, young Americans called excellent things the cat's pyjamas; in the 1990s, British teenagers described them as wicked; today the words may be completely different, and by the time you read this they have probably changed again. Slang is one of the fastest-moving parts of any language. Linguists see slang not as lazy language but as a creative one. New slang words are often made in clever ways: by shortening (totes for totally), by borrowing from other languages, by giving old words new meanings (sick meaning excellent) or by taking expressions from music, gaming and social media. Much British youth slang, for example, has been shaped by Multicultural London English, a way of speaking that developed among young people of many different backgrounds in the capital. The main function of slang is social. Using the same words as your friends shows that you belong to the group, and using words that adults do not know creates a sense of privacy. That is also why slang changes so quickly: once parents, teachers and advertisers start using a word, it loses its power, and young people move on to something new. Some slang does survive. Words like cool, which was considered slang by many people in the mid-twentieth century, are now so ordinary that most speakers do not notice them as informal at all. Others, like groovy, now sound charmingly old-fashioned. For learners, slang is worth understanding, because it appears constantly in films, series and songs. Using it, however, requires good judgement. A word that sounds natural among friends may sound strange, or even rude, in a job interview.

Viktiga ord

verb

Ett verb är ett ord som talar om vad någon gör eller vad som händer: springer, läser, är. På engelska till exempel live och play.

Källor

1. Kursplan i engelska, Lgr22, Skolverket