The Definition of Language

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CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. The Definition of Language

As the writer explained in chapter I that language becomes the important part of social life. It distinguishes human from other living things in this world. When somebody knows a language, they can understand each other through good communication. Through a language people can convey their ideas, emotion even desires. As Edward Sapir, the great philologist said that “language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbol.” 5 Every language has different dialect and accent. Even English language, England and America have a different dialect. However, dialect refers to cohesive, chiefly regional and socioeconomic varieties of language, in social group and the social situation in which it is used. So, each region has it own dialect. “Dialect refers to any variety of a language that is characteristics of a particular social group”. 6 The characteristic of working-class and middle class are sometime called as social dialect. African American and Latin or Hispanic is included into ethnic group dialect. Along with the changes of the decade, language also has improved the new word or phrase 5 Albert H Marckwardt, Introduction to the English Language, New York: Oxford University Press, 1966, p. 79 6 Edward Finegan John R. Rickford, Language in the USA, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 19 xvii into the old meaning to enriching of the modern English vocabulary. Based on words standardization, language has been divided into two kinds, standard and non-standard language. Standard English is the kind of vocabulary and usage that is taught in school and used in serious writing by even moderately painstaking professionals. 7 The improving of new words is related to what writer wants to discuss, which is about slang language that linguists say it is the low and non standard language but the writer wants to find out why this language is famous and can be accepted by every class in the society until today. Thus, in this chapter, the writer wants to describe about theories of slang, history of slang, kinds of slang and reasons why some people use them. Slang language includes the variation of language known as rough and vulgar meaning. In this case, vulgar means a social variety that has own characteristic and used by lowest grade. Among the many of slang definition, even positive or negative, slang becomes the good way for mainstream in language. According to Oxford Dictionary, slang is ”the special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable character language of low a vulgar type.” 8 As the writer describe previously, slang is non- standard language and it is like a secret language, and only particular group knows it and sometimes it is creation of new word or synonym, for example: a. Madness loony, nuts, psycho means somebody who extremely angry, sometimes become insane. 7 Lighter, J. E, Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, New York: Random House, 1994, p. xv 8 Jonathan Green, Cassel’s Dictionary of Slang, London: Cassel co, 1998, p. v xviii b. Dollar bucks means U.S currency. c. Woman babe, chick, squeeze means it’s the epithet for woman in informal occasion. d. Drugs horse, high, stoned means narcotics. e. Money dough, cheddar means the simply way to say “money” 9 Beside slang language can be discussed from synonym but also it is formed from suffix. For example, freak+y freaky means frightening, and word peach+y peachy means wonderful. 10 Slang words are often come from morphology term it is called clipping. Clipping is the element of reduction that is noticeable in blending is even more apparent in the process described or the result of shortening word as in bro from brother or flu from influenza. 11 Then, slang language comes from combining or compounding which is a joining of two separate words to produce a single form, for example bullshit means “nonsense”, this word come from two words are “bull” and “shit”, also another example is compounds adjective “fast” plus noun “food” become fast-food. 12 Discussions of slang tend to bring out expression of dismay and condemnation from those who misunderstand its natural function as the exuberant word play of a group often used to achieve some kind of group identity. However, now days slang is not only used by particular group but also all society in their daily 9 http:www.wikepidia.orgwikislang 10 Edward Finegan John R. Rickford, Language in the USA, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 376 11 George Yule, The Study of language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 55 12 Edward Finegan John R. Rickford, 2004, op.cit. 379 xix conversation. Since slang is used by every class, and as this fact is now can everywhere recognized.

B. The Meaning of Slang Language