The Russian language, as, in principle, the language of any nation, is rich and powerful, vibrant and comprehensive. To indicate the same phenomenon or concept in it, as a rule, there are several language units. Lexicology is an interesting section of linguistics. It is in it that the history and culture of the nation and state are reflected in the most complete form.
Vocabulary and its sublevels
All vocabulary, i.e., the vocabulary of the language, depending on the sphere of use, is divided into a number of layers, the boundaries between which are quite unstable. Some groups of words are almost always in action and constitute the active part of our speech. Others form its liability. The vocabulary obeys certain norms - grammatical and semantic. In this regard, the question arises of what is slang.
The concept is quite complex, heterogeneous. Linguists do not have a strict, unambiguous definition of the term. As well as which language units are necessarily classified in this subsection, and which are not. What is slang: is it just a conversational, irregular style of speech, or can it be included in the artistic one too? These and many other related problems cause heated debate among specialists. We will try to understand them too.
Definition
One of the definitions of what slang is is as follows: this is a specific set of newly formed lexemes or the transmission of already existing additional semantic connotations that are used by a limited circle of faces and are obscure to other native speakers. In this regard, professional slang, social groups, age groups, etc. are distinguished. The term itself was coined not so long ago, at the beginning of the 19th century, and came to us from the English language. What is slang in terms of British lexicographers? A special type of language that wedges into literary speech, leaving its unattractive traces in it. Of course, the definition is figurative, but there is a great deal of truth in it.
“Foreign” inclusions
If we trace how the requirements for the culture of speech have changed over time, we can be surprised to find that a huge number of words that were once slang words have now become the literary norm. This concerns, for example, such familiar expressions as the Internet (Internet), keyboard (keyboard), hard (hard disk), owl (trading adviser), pipe or mobile in the meaning "mobile phone". Or a carrier, a bomber, that is, a taxi driver, a person engaged in private transportation. And what is "TP" on slang? It is deciphered in this way: the like. Famous words - hype, failure, spur - also from slang sources. The main difference between this layer of vocabulary and vernacular, vulgarisms, etc.: it is most actively used in the environment of intelligent, educated people of various professions.
Area of use
Slang is the prerogative of individual social, professional, age and other groups. This includes Argo - thieves and criminal jargon, as well as "Fenu" - the language of thieves and tramps. The specific language of military, sports fans, teachers and journalists, etc. is professional slang. But the main "supplier" of new words and phrases in the general literary vocabulary are young people - boys and girls from 13-15 to 25 years old. What is youth slang is clearly demonstrated by such bright nominative units as: “cool” - great, “cool” - great, “cool” - prestigious, “bullshit” - nothing, nonsense. This type of speech is characterized by a rough familiar coloring. Linguists distinguish such lexical-semantic groups of words related to youth slang:
- person / people: dude, old man, chick, defka, boyfriend / girlfriend (people who have intimate relationships), ace, shoelaces;
- appearance / clothing: outfit, packed, clothes, cool, drop dead;
- pastime / leisure: party, disco, fiesta, making fun, having fun, having fun, etc.
It should be noted that youth slang is a highly mobile phenomenon that is constantly changing. It is formed most often as a derivative of the existing normative vocabulary and on the basis of foreign borrowing.