Track 4

Unit 1

Communication studies

Slang and language change

Pages 6 and 7

Listen for main ideas and listen details

The first thing to say about language changes, it’s inevitable. Language is a living thing constantly expanding, evolving and adapting with the humans who use it. We see language change in all areas of language syntax, phonology, orthography, and semantics. For now let’s just focus on semantics, and on one particular area of semantic change which always grabs people’s attention: slang.

We all recognize slang. We all use slang. And we use it for a reason. It gives our language a special field and says something about us. So I’m going to talk a bit about what slang is, who uses it and why, where it comes from and how it is received.

So what is slang? Here’s a definition you might want to jot down. Slang is informal language which tends to be associated with particular groups of people and therefore helps define their identity. Slang often breeds among deprived groups or groups we think of as secretive or underground or nonconforming. Today, though these associations are becoming much weaker and now everyone uses slang.

So let me home in on this idea of identity as it leads us into the question of why people use slang. A lot of slang comes from people not wanting to be understood by those outside their group. We typically think of using language in order to be understood, but another use of language is to prevent understanding. People use exclusive or private language to give their group a distinct identity. With slang, people can tease one another, enjoy shared experiences and keep everyone else at a distance.

All cultures have groups or subcultures who want to be separate and yet, they want people to know who they are and what they stand for. And slang helps to construct that identity. We can say then, that slang reflects the experiences, beliefs and values of its speakers. By using the slang associated with a particular social group, you’re staking a claim to the membership of that group. Being in group denotes inclusion or acceptance because you play by the groups rules. Being outgroup is the opposite. It’s being excluded.

Ever notice how non-native speakers are so eager to learn slang even before they have a basic grasp of the language? Well, that’s because it’s a signal of integration, of membership. I speak this language, I belong in a world slang is cohesive.

Now let’s look at the personal benefits of using slang. First, when you use slang well, you show that you’re in tune with the times that you know what is culturally in fashion and you’re part of it. Using slang makes you desirable.

The second benefit of using slang is that you demonstrate your mastery of the situation. You become an expert. This is because slang is only used in certain settings and knowing how and when to use it or when not to use it, gives you kind of status.

A third benefit of using slang is that it allows you to share social and emotional experiences. So it reinforces your relationships. For example, if you say to your friend: “my new sound system is really safe”, you’re saying more than just, it’s very good. Your use of slang equates sharing an emotional experience.

And a forth benefit of using slang is it’s fun,. It’s often humorous and very creative, like poetry. The semanticist SI Hayakawa actually describes slang as the poetry of everyday life. In other words, slang is also a form of play or entertainment.

So one of the major inspirations for slang. Well, there are a few that never seemed to go out of fashion. I’m talking about love and romance. It’s also used for emotional expressions of like and dislike. You can probably think of dozens of them. These particular slang terms seem to have a pretty short life. They’re being replaced by newer words and phrases all the time. And like I said if you want to stay cool, you gotta keep up with the changes.

But there is another category of slang term that’s really taken off recently. That’s the slang of new technology. Things like personal computers, the Internet, email and mobile technology. These things have become one of the richest sources of slang and there are tons of websites designed to celebrate or decode that slang. Here we see certain, often youthful communities using this to distance themselves from the technologically challenged older generations.

So we’ve seen what slang is. Who uses it, and why. And what inspires it. But what about present-day attitudes towards it. Well, slang may be widespread and no longer taboo, in the way it once was, but that doesn’t mean everybody likes it. Some see it as decadent and insist on associating it with groups they see as undesirable or uneducated. They see themselves as guardians of the language and view any kind of change as change for the worse.

In my opinion this is absurd. I personally think slang is a sign of life, vibrancy and beauty in language. As I said at the outset, language is a living thing and will always change. Yet it seems like people are programmed to view any language change negatively.

Okay, so I’d like to summarize now. Today’s main points with the quotation from linguist Tony Thorne who says “slang often performs an important social function, which is to include into or exclude from the intimate circle”. So yes, it may still have negative connotations, but slang is here to stay. And even has taken on an aura of respectability by becoming the subject of serious academic study. And why not? As I’ve tried to show, it’s a fascinating social and linguistic phenomena.