Современный британский сленг

Groups of special slangisms are rather numerous. We may speak of naval, printers’, golf, theatrical, hackers’, criminals’, black slang and so on and so forth. One of the largest groups with a layer of Special slang is youths’ (teenagers’) slang. Young people always tend to sound fashionable, vogue, fresh, inventive, creative, “unlike others” and this explains the wide popularity of slang among teenagers. Slang makes communication more emotional, efficient in the terms that it helps to express with less words all the range of emotions which might otherwise take several sentences to explain. For example, airhead, brain dead, clam, rack one’s brain, to rambo, cockamamie, campused, etc.2.3 Slang Word-FormationCompoundingCompounds can be created from individual words of various parts of speech. Probably the most common type is NOUN + NOUN pattern: hometown, boyfriend, music box, tennis court, etc. Other popular and ordinary parts are ADJECTIVE + NOUN pattern: short story, heavy water, heavy traffic, big toe, etc. And NOUN + VERB pattern: placekick, home run, baby - sit, clockwork or heat attack,etc.The ordinary processes of compounding are a major source of new words in slang. The WORD + WORD structure for many slang items is obvious and the meaning can be easily derived from the parts: dough-brain (someone who acts stupidly or as if not thinking), all-nighter (a session of studying or writing that lasts all night) or do-right (a helpful deed).A very large number of verbs in slang are formed by the addition of a short and invariant word like out, on, up or off to a word of any part of speech: harsh on (criticize), mommy up (love, hug, comfort), blow off (miss class, ignore responsibility), beam out (daydream), blow out (shock, embarrass), bomb out (fail, perform poorly), check out (look at, scrutinize), chill out (relax, calm down), burn out (become mentally or physically exhausted), jell out (relax by doing nothing), lay out (sunbather), rag out (become tired), rock out (play music loudly), tang out (abandon, put an end to), z-out (go to sleep), phase out (become unaware, as if asleep), etc.Clipping The most frequent pattern of clipping is the loss of sounds from the ends of words. The most common pattern is back-clipping, in which the beginning of a base lexeme is retained (lab from laboratory, exam from examination, doc from doctor, pop from popular music, zoo from zoological garden). Other pattern are fore-clipping, in which the final part of the word is retained (phone from telephone, chute from parachute, pike from turnpike, gator from alligator), middle clipping in which the middle part of the word is retained (flu from influenza, tec from detective), and complex clipping or clipped compounds in which one part of the original compound most often remains intact (cablegram from cable telegram, opart from optical art, org-man from organization man). Clipping is also common in slang. They are primarily shortenings of nouns and adjectives: coke from cocaine, cred from credit/credibility, crim from criminal, fave from favorite, hyper from hyperactive, bro from brother, ped from pedestrian, rehab from rehabilitation, skell from skeleton, scally from scally-way, etc. BlendingBlending is a combination of shortening and compounding, the process of blending puts together pieces of words and their meanings. Thus brunch is formed from breakfast and lunch and means “a meal that combines breakfast and lunch”.Blending slang though is not much but they are still popular in used: buel(body + fuel) “to eat voraciously”, droned (drunk + stoned) “unaware because of alcohol or drugs”, froyo (frozen yogurt), polislide (political science + slide) “easy political science course”, etc. The study of Slang clearly shows that what is labeled Slang is either all kinds of nonce-formations - so frequently appearing in lively everyday speech and just as quickly disappearing from the language -, word-combinations that are formed by using the various means of word-building existing in the language and also by distorting the form or sense of existing words. Here are some more examples of words that are considered Slang:to take stock in - to be interested in, attach importance, give credence tobreak-basket - the stomach;to do a flit - to quit one’s flat or lodgings at night without paying the rent or boardrot - nonsense!the cat’s pajamas - the correct thing ken - a house which harbors’ thievesto queer a flat - to puzzle a silly fellowa lark - fun or sport of any kinda blowing - a girlswell - gentlemanlynutty - pleasingto be nuts on - to be infatuated with2.4 Cockney SlangThe perhaps most commonly known British dialect is the Cockney dialect which is spoken in the London-area. A characteristic of Cockney is rhyming slang such as saying bees and honey instead of “money” or Apples and pears instead of “stairs”. There are also expressions which are even harder to understand as they demand some kind of pre-knowledge, such as, can I have a butcher’s, which means “can I have look” and has originated from butcher’s hook which rhymes with look. The Cockney dialect is characterized by its particular pronunciation, incorrect speech, and also rhyming slang. Nowadays the Cockney dialect’s most famous legacy is Cockney rhyming slang, which appeared in 16th century East End London. Thanks to well-known British television programs, Cockney acquired a certain popularity in the English-speaking world. But speaking about the modern development of Cockney rhyming slang, everything is far from positive. Cockney rhyming slang sees no great development. Modern Cockney slang tends only to rhyme the names of celebrities or well-known people:Britney Spears = beers“Let’s fo for a few Britney Spears!” - “Let’s go for a few beers!” Becks and Posh - nick-name of football player David Beckham and his wife Victoria = nosh - fast food Trevor Sinclair - Negro English football player = nightmareUncle Ted - Ted Kennedy = bedRuby Murray = curry“Let’s go for a Ruby!” = “Let’s go and have some curry!” Here are some examples of the Cockney dialect that are considered Cockney rhyming slang:Omitting of the sound [h]: not ‘alf’ instead of not halfUsing “ain’t” instead of isn’t or am notUsing the sound[f] instead of [θ]: thousand [θauznd] = [fa:snd]or using the sound [v] instead of [ð]: brother [boðǝ] = [bovǝr] Using the sound [dj] instead of [au]: down [daun] = [djn]Using the guttural obsruent instead of [t’]: bottle [botl] = [bo’l]Using the sound [w] instead of [r]: red [red] = [wed]Pronunciation of the dark [l] as a vowel: Millwall [milwol] = [miowo:]Using of Cockney rhyming slang:Loaf of bread or loaf = headLoaf - loaf of breadWind and Kite = websiteMockney = mock (laugh at something) = CockneyNo’ope = No hope (soap)Loaf = headThink! Use your loaf! = Think! Use your head!Bone = dog and bone = phoneI was on the Bone when you knocked at the door. - I was on the phone when you knocked at the door.Plates = plates of meat = feetGet your Plates off my table! - Get your feet off my table!Mince = mince pie = eyeKeep your Minces off my tea! If you’re thirsty, you can get another one. - Keep your eyes off my tea! If you’re thirsty, you can get another one.Barack Obama = pyjamaHe was wearing his Barack Obamas. - He was wearing his pyjama.Cocoa = say so - agreeLet’s go tot he pub! Do you Cocoa? - Let’s go tot he pub! Say so?; Let’s go tot he pub! Do you agree?Apples and Eve = believeWould you Adam and Eve it? - Would you believe it?You and Me = teaWould you like a cup of You and Me? - Would you like a cup of tea?Apples and Pears = stairsGet up those Apples and Pears to bed! - Get up those stairs to bed!Whistle = whistle and flute = suitHow do you like my new Whistle? - How do you like my new suit?However, as a result of the migration of Cockney speakers from London, we see a decrease in its usage. Mono-cultural Cockney cannot exist in multicultural London. It is necessary to take into account the fact that some expressions from Cockney rhyming slang have so taken root in English that they will hardly cease to be used. ConclusionWe came to the conclusion that slang was firmly fixed in our speech, regardless of our desire. We believe that slang is an integral, periodically changing part of speech, which will be in our vocabulary forever. In most cases the youth British slang is presented by English borrowings, although it is necessary to get rid of slang words in English language according to the statements of many linguists. Phonetic associations, the transfer cases are less common. And they happen due to the violent fantasies of the young people. The attraction of foreign words into a language should always be treated carefully, especially, when this process is so fast. Naturally, the language level fell sharply with the appearance of slang. Slang penetrates into all areas of work, and even in literature. We do not think that slang is something harmful. Slang has been, is and will be in our vocabulary. It is evident from our report text. We believe that it is wrong to judge about the need for slang by a language. Slang is an integral part of our lives. If we take into account the importance of care about language, it is possible to improve a situation with the culture of speech.Firstly, the general `flattening out' of a hierarchical society and the relaxation of linguistic prejudices mean that slang may come to be seen not as something inherently substandard, but as an option among many available linguistic styles. At the same time there must always be a set of words and phrases which is beyond the reach of most speakers, that is always `deviant', `transgressive' and opaque. This slang must renew itself, not just in implied contrast with `standard' Introduction language, but with earlier versions of itself. So new slang words will continue to sprout, to metamorphose, to wither and disappear or else to spread and fertilize the common ground of language.This process may now be more visible and familiar, the crossover phenomenon may happen much faster (given the complicity of the media), and the shock value of the terms themselves may be lessened (the invention and use of slang does risk becoming locked into familiarity and cliche, like the tired gestures of rock, rap, conceptual art and fashion), but it is very unlikely ever to stop.Particular pieces of evidence distilled from manifold sources allow us to establish a wholesome image of Cockney Rhyming Slang. To put things into perspective, this work opens with a terse definition of slang in general, thereby lubricating the comprehension of the phenomenon that constitutes the nucleus of the study.But, unfortunately, slang does not remain constant. At the change of one fashionable phenomenon by another one, the old words are forgotten, they are replaced by others. This process takes place very rapidly. If a word can exist in any other slang for decades, an incredible number of words appeared and became history in the youth slang only during the past decade of rapid world progress.ReferencesArutyunova N.D. Anomalies and language // The issues of linguistics. - 2007. - № 3. - pp. 3- 19.Andersson, Lars-Gunnar & Trudgill, Peter. 1990. Bad Language. London. Penguin.Battistella, Edwin L. 2005. Bad Language: Are Some Words Better than Others? Oxford. Oxford University press. Dumas, Bethany K. and Jonathan Lighter. 1978. "Is Slang a Word for Linguists?" American Speech 53: 5-17.Eble, C. Slang and Sociability. London and Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1996.Grossman, Aryn L & Tucker, Joan S. 1997. Gender Differences and Sexism in the Knowledge and Use of Slang. 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