Англо – Американский молодежный сленг

• Pissed: angry.

             “I’m really pissed at you.”

3. Some lexicologists believe that the word “slang” is used as an item of jargon words, having the meaning of well known expressions and phrases.
• For example: What you get in bucks? (“Get” – to understand something; “bucks” – money).

    However you shouldn’t approach to slang from the position of explorer linguist because the language is the versatile and multilateral notion and is used mainly in oral speech.

   
 

Slang is the first speech level of metaphors and expressions. For example:

• I got the message! Or:  I caught it! (I understand).
• Mind you own business (Don’t put you long nose into other people affairs).
• It hurts like hell (very sick).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

          3. Slang and social development 

   Slang is a layer of national culture. It touches upon all spheres of social development. Slang intensively infiltrate in the art language. We can observe it in some scenes from performances, movie episodes and TV shows. For example:

• Rules – the best
• Kewl – cool
• Nut – crazy person
• Chic flick – movie for girls
• To be hot – to look very good
• Dickhead – stupid

In routine life slang is used in slogans and nicknames. Here is a few of more “entertaining” nicknames we’ve come across:

1. Banana Slugs

University of California, Santa Cruz

2. Black Flies

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine

3. Boll Weevils

University of Arkansas – Monticello

4. Green Terror

McDaniel College, Westminster, MD

   The English youth slang is one of the functional language styles, which is used by the English spoken audience and is interesting different layers of education when slang is spoken in the teenagers “environment” and does not pollute it. I think that slang attracts by its expressiveness metaphors, freedom and bravity. The vivid example of it is using slang expressions in youth songs.  

   Thoroughly exploring English slang I noted that slang can be characterized by semantic humor.  

   Slang serves as identification mark of belonging a person to the concrete social group. Rockers, punks, hippies, football fans have their own slang. The most vivid example of the original and distinctive slang is so called “Elfisky” language, created by the admirers of D.P.P. Tolkiev’s works, the author of the book “The Lord of the Ring”. 
 
 
 

                             4. Features of slang 

   The youth slang appears generally in big cities but sometimes certain elements are met in peripheries and towns.

• Situation in the city bus. Two young people quarrel with each other (one has hurt another passenger’s

Foot)

• What has gone down? Why are you so budded?
• Stop bugging me! Puck off!
• Watch your tongue!
• Get lost).

Slang is a universal type of language. This kind of language has a critical and ironical attitude to everything that is connected with the political ruling. It’s a kind of “system”. Slang is in opposition to the official system. For example the word flick is in opposition to the official expression movie.

• This is the first feature of slang. 
• The second feature of slang is its creation by the collective activity.
• The third one is the communicative function of slang.                     
• The next feature characterizing slang as a universal type of language emphasizes ties of English slang with other standard linguistic items of different countries. For example: French, German, Bulgarian and other Argo. For example Nada from Portugal that means nothing; Amigo that is friend and Dinero as money (from Spanish); Aloha Hawaien word   (Love).

The youth slang is a password to all members of the referent group. Studying and comparing slang drives us to the conclusion that slang is not a harmful layer of the language system but is a whole and necessary part of it. These systems are very interesting from the linguistic point of view, because it is like a laboratory of the language formation, and here the process of language changes can be notice quicker than in common life.  
 
 
 
 
 
 

5. Differences between the youth slang

               and other kinds of slang   

   We will try to clear up the main differences of the youth slang from other ones:

1. These words serve for the communication of one age                category persons.
2. The youth slang is concentrated to the world of young people.
3. Thanks to the knowledge of such “special” language. They feel themselves members of so – called community.

   So, these 3 kinds of observation are not allowed to amount the youth slang to any separate group of nonliterary words and make us dwell it as a phenomenon which posses the features of every slang type. For example at the primary steps of youth slang we can observe the different levels. The circle of the infant slang can be simple                 

• (I don’t know zip about this animal (Zip – nothing).
• This ball is Humungous! (Humungous – big).
• You tell a bull about this animal (bull – lie). ).

The middle level of the following word expressions:

1. Dave can sometimes act like an airhead! (Airhead – stupid person)

2. I really had a ball in Dave’s class. (Ball – a fun time)

3. I’m really beat because I was playing the computer all night. (Beat – tired)

The grown ups use slang more bravely and strictly. Their slang sounds rude and unpleasant:

1. The party was fun even though there wasn’t any booze (booze – alcohol).

2. Do you want another brew, Dave? (Brew – beer).3.It is really in now (in – fashionable)! 
 
 

       
 
 
 
 
 

                      III. Conclusion 

   In this research work we tried our best to reveal the main features of slang in modern linguistics. So, English slang is multifunctional. First of all it gives the ironical effect.

1. Young persons, with the help of slang, feel that they belong to the same social group.
2. Slang promotes development of language; enriches it by borrowing from other linguistic spheres and languages.
3. Slang words and word combinations become gradually the norms of language.
4. Slang has clear expressed humor features. Not one a single humorous story could exist without slang.

To sum it up, slang and especially youth slang, bring verities into our speech; make it more expressive and vivid. 

   

   Recommendations: We would like our work not to be only theoretical, but also have practical value: We hope that students will make acquaintance with the examples of youth slang with great pleasure. Our work can have practical usage for translating lexics, dialogues, popular texts and modern magazines, newspapers, for correspondence with English speaking persons and for every day communication.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

IV. List of slang words 

1. The features of personality 

Airhead: stupid person.

“Believe it or not. Dave can sometimes act like an airhead!” 

Barf – out: a displeasing person or affair.

“That room was a real barf – out.” 

Chicken: coward.

“Don’t be such chicken!” 

Couch potato: a person who watches too much television.

“Why did I have to married such couch potato?” 

Dirt: extremely bad person.

“My ex – boyfriend was dirt.” 

Dorky: peculiar.

“If you keep acting so dorky, you’ll never get a girlfriend!” 

Geek: someone who works too hard is more intelligent than usual, and slightly unattractive.

“Bill Gates is kind of a geek.” 

Goff (1): a silly and foolish person.

“What a goff you are!” 

Guts: courage.

“It took a lot of guts to ask his boss for a raise.” 

Humungous: big

“American supermarkets are humungous!” 

Icky: unpleasant.

“The food is really icky in the school cafeteria.” 

In: fashionable

“It is really in now” 

Jerk: stupid person.

“How could you go out with such a jerk?” 

Jock: someone good at sport.

“I’ve never been much of a jock” 

Knockout: beautiful woman or handsome man.

“He is already a knockout.” 

Kook: peculiar person

“Stop acting like a kook!” 

Nut: crazy person.

“Why are you always acting like a nut?” 

Pig out: eat too much.

“He is famous for pig out on chocolate ice cream.” 

Pissed: angry.

“I’m really pissed at you.” 

Psycho: crazy person.

“He is psycho!” 

Riot: someone very funny.

“Jim is a riot.” 
 

Yank: an American.

“He is a Yank.” 
 

Fox: attractive person.

“Is it true that Dave is a Fox?” 
 
 

2. Leisure 
 

Awesome: great and impressive.

“Dave’s ESL Café is truly awesome!” 

Ball: a fun time.

“I really had a ball in Dave’s ESL class.”

Bang (1): a very powerful thing.                                                                                 

“Disneyland is really bang!” 

Bang (2): a powerful effect.

“Japanese sake really has a bang!” 

Bazillion: an infinite number of something.

“Has Dennis really taught bazillion students?” 

B- Ball: basketball.

“Do you want play b –ball with me?” 

Biggie: something important.

“I was hoping to get my homework completed but it’s no biggie” 

Boss: excellent, great

“Dave’s ESL Café is totally boss!” 

Cheese: cheap.

“Why are you wearing such cheesy clothes?” 

Cool: excellent, super.

“It is cool!” 

Dynamite: powerful.

“Dave gave a dynamite presentation!” 

Evil: great.

“You are really evil!” 

Flick: movie.

“Let’s go tonight and watch a flick.” 

Hairy: difficult, dangerous.

“The steep and windy road was really hairy.” 

Hot: popular.

“He is very hot now!” 

Shades: sunglasses.

“Those are cool shades.” 

Threads: clothing.

“She spent $900 on new threads!” 

Ticker: a watch.

“Wow! That’s really cool ticker!” 

Tints: sunglasses.

“You have good tints.” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3. Study 

Beat: tired.

“I’m really beat because I was awake all night.” 

B.S.: bullshit, lies.

“I’m tired of listening to you B.S.!” 

Bull: lie.

“That’s a bunch of bull!” 

Bushed: extremely tired.

“I’m completely bushed.” 

Deck: to hit something.

“His wife almost decked him when he returned home with lipstick on his shirt.” 

Dicey: risky.

“Gambling is a dicey occupation.” 

Dinosaur: something old fashioned or out of date.”

“I’d love to surf Net, but my computer is a dinosaur.” 

Face – off: confrontation.

“I think it’s time we had a face – off.” 

Fender – bender: small accident.

“This morning I have a fender – bender on the Ventura Freeway.” 

Flashback: sudden memory.

“In Little Tokyo I had a flashback to my days living in Japan.” 

Get it: to understand something.

“Sorry, but I just don’t get it.” 

Goff (2): make mistake.

“I really goffed on the test today.”

Hep: informed.