Slang in English

Ulan Ainura
Mutanova Bibinur
Alieva Liana

students EP «Translation Studies» of  the Turan University

Abstract: This article raises the topic of the history of the emergence of slang in the English language, gives a general definition of slang. Its main types, their origin, definition are listed. The key concepts that are used in the translation of English slang into Russian are established.

Relevance: Slang is one of the integral parts of the English vocabulary. In modern English, it is very diverse, as it develops, expands and actively erases the boundaries of the language. Slang is intended for everyone who wants to follow the news and interact more actively with the outside world, with other people, and therefore speak one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.

The purpose of the work is to consider the features of the modern English language, the study of various types of slang and factors affecting its development. Aspects of slang are highlighted. The importance of slang in the modern world is substantiated.

Object of research: slang as an integral part of modern English education.

Subject of research: words, phrases and phrases often used for the emotional designation of subjects related to the educational process, profession and interests.

Keywords: slang, jargon, argot, professional slang, youth slang.

Most linguists and lexicographers recognize that the origin of the word slang is «uncertain» or «unknown». A notable exception is Walter William Skeet, a lexicographer who argued that slang («vulgar language») is of Scandinavian origin and is derived from the Icelandic slyngva («to throw»), which can be compared to the Norwegian verb slengja («to bind»). Jaw») and the Norwegian noun slengjeord («slang word»), used for offensive words. The lexicographer was opposed by one of the Swedish slang researchers Anna-Brita Stenstrom in her article «From slang to slang: a description based on a teenage conversation» gives an example of a Swedish dictionary, «Bonniers Stora Lexicon», in which it is claimed that Swedish verbal slang comes from English slang, and its origin is unknown. The first mention of the word «slang» dates back to 1756 in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), according to which the original source is «not obvious». Consequently, the word «slang» appeared in English earlier than in the languages of the Scandinavian countries.

Another point of view on the appearance of the word «slang» suggests that it is not an English word; it is a Gypsy term for their secret language. Some other philologists consider it a derivative of French.

But the phenomenon of slang appeared before it got the name «slang». According to Swift, slang is as old as speech, and traces of it can be found as far back as we can go. Old English slang was rougher and more dependent on outright vulgarity than our modern slang. The slang of those days was usually called the «flash» language, which represented both hypocrisy and slang. It is important to emphasize that the term «slang» was first used by Francis Grose in 1785. He defined it as «kant or vulgar language». In the 18th century, slang was considered a misuse of the English language and was considered forbidden. Currently, slang is not associated with 2vulgar language». It takes its shape and is influenced by different cultures and technological innovations that have left many slang extremes in society from street slang to African-American slang. Moreover, slang tends to arise in subcultures of society.

The vocabulary of slang is changing rapidly: what is new and exciting for one generation, old-fashioned for the next. Old slang often either becomes obsolete or becomes generally accepted. into the literary language, losing its eccentric coloring.

Slang has been developing for centuries, moving from one social group to another. As in other languages, slang words help people communicate easier and faster. At the same time, it allows you to become part of a certain social circle in which people encode their communication with certain slang terms. As a result, slang brings a new sound to the language, helping people stand out from the crowd.

In most countries, the emergence of new slang terms is mainly caused by the fact that the younger generation creates a lot of slang abbreviations for SMS in social networks, online chats and on their YouTube channels.

Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not in standard English, but which are acceptable in certain social situations. In our daily life, we can see the use of slang in books, magazines and television films, because slang is closely related to the national culture. The translation of English slang requires the translator to pay attention to the correspondence of language and culture.

Language is a tool for people to communicate with each other, it has no class nature. But this does not mean that people use the same language in different classes. Languages used in different classes have different symbols and colors; they may reflect the speaker's social background, status, artistic culture and industry experience. In English, slang is a colorful word. But now people can use slang in conversation to make their language bright, humorous and different from others. Especially young people are trying to use new slang in their conversations. Meanwhile, slang can help the conversation be light and friendly. Therefore, slang is widely used in our daily life. As a widely used language, slang has its own definition, features and ways of translation.

In sociolinguistic literature, the linguistic community is usually considered as the source cell of sociolinguistic analysis; the term «slang» refers to the following linguistic phenomena:

1. Vocabulary characterized by greater metaphoricity, brightness and fragility than ordinary language.

2. Speech and writing are characterized by the use of vulgar and socially taboo vocabulary.

3. Social and professional jargon.

Interestingly, 55% of students use English slang in oral and written speech. This shows how fast the world around us is developing. Slang, being an integral part of the language and developing with it, is used in various social groups.

Slang itself is a variation of the «secret language» and synonymous with words such as jargon or argot.

Slang names traditionally go back to the groups that use them. It is unlikely to be possible to name all the types, but the main types are as follows:

1. An abbreviation is an abbreviation or addition of two or more words, which as a result acquire a short form. Abbreviations also refer to slang and are actively used in messages in order to save time.

The most common and popular abbreviations worldwide: LOL – laughing out loud; BTW – by the way; ZZZ – sleeping; BFF - best friends forever; YOLO – you only live once; DM – direct message; Collab – collaboration.

There are also the simplest abbreviations, where one letter or number is a word: 2 – too; 4 – for; B – be; U – you; Y – why.

2. Youth slang is one of the most relevant types of slang. Youth slang is used exclusively among young people, most often among teenagers, that is, the age category from 12 to 25 years. Youth slang is always changing and developing, the appearance of new slangs does not make it difficult for young people to immediately use them in all areas of their lives. This type of slang is the complete opposite of the official business style of speech, and also differs from other types of slang in its emotional expressiveness, rudeness and straightforwardness. In addition, there are a lot of divisions among this type of slang, that is, there are certain words that are characteristic of different social groups, cultural trends and age categories. So, it is possible to distinguish school and student slang and slang of gamers etc.

Earlier, the older generation believed that teenage slang was one of the types of manifestations of rebellion, but at the moment everything has changed dramatically. In the 21st century, the era of advanced technologies and social networks, the entire younger generation actively uses slang expressions. Slang has become so commonplace a part of colloquial speech that people who claim that they are not used do not notice that it is present in their speech. Why is the younger generation so actively using slang? The answer is very simple, to become a part of the youth environment, not to differ and keep up with peers, to understand conversations that are closely related to slang.

The reasons for the formation of new slang expressions are:

1. modern music and films of different genres;

2. passion for foreign culture and languages;

3. social networks and games;

4. the need of young people to have their own «special» language in order to express themselves vividly, emotionally;

5. low level of culture and upbringing in the family;

Divisions in youth slang:

- School slang. It is used by school students aged from 12 to 18 years, respectively. Most often it is harmless in nature, has no negative coloring. School slang, of course, includes words related to school subjects, teachers, classrooms, homework and school friends. Here are some examples of school slang:

Basic – is an adjective that describes something typical and ordinary; To kill, kari –to make fun of;  Zero cool – cool! very good, super; Homey, homers – homework; bear - school teacher; chicken - coward;

- Student slang. It is used and understood by students of universities and colleges. Unlike school slang, student slang differs in that slang lingers here for many years. There are also divisions within student slang, that is, it is the use of slang in a particular faculty and specialty. Some slang words are used in their speech not only by students, but also by teachers. Below are examples of student slang:

Grazing – grab a bite; Put a sock in it! – Shut up! bro – short for brother; wench, gooey – girlfriend; nоре – no; neat – cool; What's up? – How are you? make a play for – flirt; fаb – fabulous; Faffing – wasting your time.

- Gaming slang. The most popular form of leisure for young people now are video games, Over the past 20 years with the development of video games, a unique gaming slang has appeared and founded, which serves to exchange information among players. It got to the point that the slang phrases of gamers began to penetrate into ordinary speech, because a whole generation grew up on them. Game slang has brevity, accuracy, emotionality and, most importantly, has the goal of transmitting, for example, a large amount of information with a couple of slang phrases, which helps players in a tense gameplay. There are also 2 types of gamers' slang, this is oral and written slang, oral is used during online games when communicating with other players, written slang is used in chats, slang is very short, most often abbreviations. Examples of gaming slang:

N00b – newbie, newbie. In all new beginnings or professions, there are beginners, but novice gamers call N00b, written with two zeros together with the letters o. They most often use this slang either neutrally or as an insult.

Cheater – from the word cheat, to deceive. Players who use hacked games, use deceptive techniques during the game, for example, to hit without aiming, to have an unlimited supply of money in the game, all this applies to cheaters.

NPC – characters in games that are not under the control of the player, they are just extras, they can be anyone, both people and monsters, animals. Slang is also used outside the game, NPCs call those who do not think with their own heads, always adhere to someone else's opinion.

3. Professional slang is a set of vocabulary that is used in a particular profession, it is used not only during discussions of work, conferences, meetings, but also in ordinary colloquial speech. The reason for the appearance of professional slang was the simplification of communication at work. Professional slang, as well as student slang, may differ depending on what field or companies you work in and also has slang that everyone uses and understands. For example, the slang of IT specialists. Terms from this area have become so popular and memorable that, as with gaming slang, they have entered everyday speech.

Why is it worth studying professional slang? First of all, this is a good opportunity to replenish your vocabulary, professional slang will also help you join a new team, and the third reason is the opportunity to understand slang in films and TV series with a plot tied to professions, for example, you can even better understand the replicas of the characters from the series  «Grey's Anatomy», the plot of which completely revolves around medicine.

Examples of slang expressions of different specialties:

Appy – an appendicitis, or an appendix; circle the drain – to be close to death; frequent flyer – a patient who spends a lot of time at hospital, is frequently admitted; slasher – a surgeon; chinwag – a word describing a good conversation; spaghetti code – is any poorly and clumsily designed program; mung – make changes to the file; MISPER – missing person; house mouse — a law enforcement officer engaged in office work.

The most common professional slang that employees use for informal communication: IDK – I don’t know; BRB – Be right back; EOD – End of the day; net – internet; nosh – short lunch.

If we talk about the distinctive features of professional slang, then you can see that it has a part of phonetics. English-speaking professional slang units are difficult to translate into Russian. Lexical units that are reformed by Russian slang from English and American slang do not have much difficulty in the translation process. Example: carpet – carpet. When translating slang from English into Russian, translators use a metaphor. In the process of translating reduced vocabulary, you need to use the same translations as for literary translation. Difficulties can be caused by lexical units that are not listed in dictionaries, reference books, etc.

Types of slang translations. Lexical and grammatical translation transformations (calculus, generalization, modulation, etc. When translating slang, it is important to preserve expressions. Knowledge of the correct use of slang in a literary text is of great importance for the translator as a whole. The main problem that translators face when translating slang is that there are no semantic equivalents. In general, a translator should know the types of slang and be able to use them in any field, as well as a simultaneous interpreter and in writing. There are also types of slang that cannot be translated, this is another difficulty of the translator. After all, slang in all spheres are different. In our modern world, we are obliged to get acquainted with various types and translations of slang, and even more so to know how they are translated in order to use them correctly. British and American slang are completely different, but the translation may be the same.

America (USA) is famous for both abbreviations and slang. But for the most part they speak slang and translate slang professionally. Let's look at examples: Ace – drop off, kudos- respect, Dis – stop, Dig –dragging, piece of cake – just spit and there are a lot of slang. But again, returning to them, we can say that their translation is not direct, and by translating them you can very quickly and easily replenish your vocabulary.

Examples of slang: Fam – family, Stan – fan, Meh – uninteresting, Botch – work at random, Bae – favorite, baby, Budge up – move up, Do – party, Jolly – very, Wonky – unstable, Easy – peasy – easy, Soph- sophomore, Ret- cigarette, Zam – exam.

It is interesting that slang differs from literature in that slang is an abbreviated form of a word, and when translated, it is generally abbreviated and quickly pronounced just as easily. All languages have slang, but they are translated differently, but words not slang have a completely different translation. Professional translation shows the word and how it is written very well, because for translators plus a professional, the main thing is to look at how it looks and how it is written. We are considering the fact how modern slang is, because there are slangs that went away several centuries ago, but still have the same translation, or the translation has changed. Professional translation is very complex, but at the same time easy in writing, and it can also be noted that all translations have their own structure. How slangs are arranged and pronounced in the text and how they are perceived and translated.

It also happens that we cannot translate this or that slang, but we can see it in use, like a movie. In films, for example, they speak quickly and sometimes you can't figure out who said what, and slang comes to the rescue, and slang can be transferred quickly and correctly. Examples include video games, books, cartoons, all sorts of different stories, articles, and the like. We call the modem a lot, and there are a lot of examples to this. You can take another example of cartoons. Their children are very interesting to watch, they stick to them and do not come off. But there you can hear a lot and a lot of slang, namely youth, but their translation will sound the same, but the main thing is to be clear and legible, this concerns the translator. Well, we can say that slangs in professional translation are of great importance, without them it would be difficult and difficult for translators to translate. The main thing is that the translation should be competent, structural, and youth-oriented at the expense of slang. The purpose of slang translations is to show how this slang is written and how it sounds correctly, how it can be pronounced or abbreviated and how it is borrowed correctly. After all, there are many words borrowed from other languages, as well as literature and slang. The main thing is to show what this slang means, to write a definition for slang and how to write the translation completely.  Russian has a lot of slang, but they are translated into English in a completely different way and sound different, but it is translated from English into Russian in the same way. But some slang words are written as they sound and are translated the same way. Professional translation gives us a chance to show how to work with slang correctly, and how to translate and use them correctly in speech, namely in colloquial speech. If the speech is fast, then of course you can not understand what kind of slang and how it is written and translated, but if the speech is intelligible, then it will be easier.

In conclusion, it should be noted that currently slang includes both specific and general meanings. It usually consists of new words and new or expanded meanings. Finding completely fresh, energetic, colorful, sharp or humorous expressions. When translating vocabulary in general and slang, various Internet resources, dictionaries, watching various kinds of movies, etc. should be used. Accurate knowledge of lexical and semantic features is the main specificity of slang translation. This phenomenon is unique and contradictory in itself. To be aware of all new words, you need to communicate regularly with native speakers and preferably in an informal setting. Slang has had a great influence on traditional English. It is thanks to him that the language has become more modern and extraordinary, because in the context of aristocratic English slang it looks bright, expressive and informal.