8
with which they can rename ideas, action, and objects that they feel strongly about. In effect slang is the result of a combination of linguistic
irreverence and a reaction against staid, stuffy, pompous, pretentious, or FRORXUOHVVGLFWLRQ´
7
Moreover, slang used not only represent excitement, jokes but also be used
by person in every grade of life. The uniqueness of slang, it changes like a fashion, when it is trend, everyone will use it. John Camden Hotten said:
³7KDW VODQJ UHSUHVHQWV WKH HYDQHVFHQW YXOJDU ODQJXDJH HYHU FKDQJLQJ with fashion and taste, spoken by person in every grade of life, rich and
poor, honest and dishonest. Slang is indulged in form a desire to appear familiar with life, gaiety, town-humour, and with the transient nick names
and street jokes of the day. Slang is the language of street humour, of fast, high and low life. Slang is as old as speech and congregating together of
the people in cities. It is the result of crowding, excitement, and artificial OLIH´
8
Based on those definitions above, the writer knows that every linguist has different perspective about the meaning of slang. However, the writer is able to
conclude that slang represents vulgar language used by person in every grade of life, it is the result of inventiveness by the young and attractive people who want
new something fresh and it is non-standard language that carries connotations and overtones of irreverence, cynicism, and humour.
B. The History of Slang
Slang has been introduced since sixteenth century, it is used to change the inelegant statement of being associated with foreigner or criminals, some people
XVH LW WR PDNH MRNHV DQG WR NHHS WKH VHFUHW RI WKH ZRUG¶V PHDQLQJ DQd also
7
Ibid
8
Jonathan Green, DVVHO¶VLFWLRQDU\RI6ODQJ Cassel Co Wellington House 123 Strand. London.2000, p. V
9
because some people want another language besides the Standard English to express ideas.
To know about the history of slang the writer would like to propose it based on decade, characteristics, examples and meaning. From Random House
Historical DicWLRQDU\ RI PHULFDQ 6ODQJ DQG IURP WKH ERRN ³6ODQJ 7RGD\ DQG HVWHUGD\´
9
by Eric Partridge, there are five decades of slang history and each of them has different characteristic. It started from sixteenth, seventeenth,
eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century. Below are some further explanations about the history of slang:
Table1. The History of Slang
No Decades Characteristics
Examples Meanings
1. Sixteenth
Century Slang is only used
particular group. For
instance, criminals; thieves,
beggar. Patricos
Doxies Priggers
Strolling HJJDUV¶WUXOOV
Thieves
2. Seventeenth
Century Slang is rich of
figurative language
and related
to immoral action.
Clap Crimp
Buzzard A pun
Clatter A game of card
A simpleton
Circling boy
3. Eighteenth
Century Slang mostly used
in comedy Melt
Tip Whiter-Go-Ye
Victualing office
To spend To give or lend
A wife The stomach
9
Eric Partridge, Slang Today and Yesterday Utledge Kegan Paul LTD London. 1945, p. 37
10
4. Nineteenth
Century Slang
rapidly grow, it is used
for conversation in society.
Bus Burra
Burke Burry a Moll
A public
carriage A great man
To kill To run away
From a Mistress 5.
Twentieth Century
Slang becomes a part of spoken
language not only used by criminals
but also ordinary people
Tanked Cheero
Birdcage Drunk
Classy A prison
C. The Kinds of Slang
IWHU UHDGLQJ ³6ODQJ 7RGD\ DQG HVWHUGD\´ E\ Eric Partridge
10
and searching the internet, the writer finds the kinds of slang. Some kinds of slang are:
1. Cockney Slang
The term of cockney slang refers to working-class people in London, especially for east London. It often used in reference to the cockney accent.
11
And cockney slang is the brightest spot in England because it has a very pronounced
accent. In the society of England cockney slang is very easy to be understood directly.
There are two kinds of Cockney slang, at first, Cockney slang that spoken by educated and middle class people. At Second, Cockney slang that used by the
semi literate and illiterate people, it called as Cockney London of the street.
10
Ibid, p, 148
11
Wikipedia. Cockney, the free Encyclopedia. Accessed on March 13. 2011. http:en
. Wikipedia.orgwikiCockney
11
Here are several examples of Cockney slang that commonly used in daily conversation by the educated and middle class people:
µ6HH WKH EUHH]H DQG WDVWH WKH VXQ¶ PHDQV DQ H[SUHVVLRQ RI VXPPHU HQMR\PHQW WR HVFDSH IURP RQGRQ WR DQ RSHQ FRPPRQ µ\H LQ D VOLQJ¶
PHDQVFUXVKHGRUGHIHDWHGµKLFNDOHU\FRYHPHDQVDYHU\VPDUWIHOORZ¶ ³SHUIHFW´LQGress, able in business, and of a dashing deportment.
Here are examples of Cockney slang that is commonly used in daily conversation by the semi literate and quite illiterate:
a. Up the pole, means drunk. b. Old gal means general term of affection describing a wife.
c. Sky a chopper means to make a disturbance.
2. Public House Slang
Pubic house group of words and phrases makes up for the smallness of the recorded vocabulary by the nature of the subject. It is genial, cheery, materialistic,
but not gross nor cynical. Below are the examples: a. Round the corner means a drink.
b. Three out brush means a glass shaped like an inverted cone. c. Raven means a two penny portion of bread and cheese.
12
3. :RUNPHQ¶V6ODQJ
This type has a link with the public house slang. It is very closely allied to WUDGHVPHQ¶VVODQJDQGDOVRFRQVLGHUHGWRSHRSOH¶VDFWLYLW\LQZRUNLQJ0RVWRIWKH
XVHUVRIZRUNPHQ¶VVODQJDUHODERXUHUVHLWKHUWRZQDQGIDUPODERXUHUV0RUHRYHU there is a significant difference both of them that the town labourer is more ready
with their tongues and fluent with their slang than the farm labourer which is not too modern instance.
+HUHDUHH[DPSOHVRI:RUNPHQ¶VVODQJIRUWKHWRZQODERXUHU a. Screw up means without money, therefore unable to move about at will.
b. Matey means a companion in labour. c. Brass mean money, this very general term seems to have originated the
chopper and iron industries.
7UDGHVPHQ¶V6ODQJ ,Q 7UDGHVPHQ¶V VODQJ DV LQ :RUNPHQ¶V VODQJ VRPH RI WKH ZRUGV DUH
related to origin slang and the users are the worker too, but the difference is the 7UDGHVPHQ¶V VODQJ FRQVLGHUV IRXU DV W\SLFDO WDLORUV EXWFKHUV FKHPLVW DQG
builders. The tailors have the largest number of slang terms. +HUHDUHH[DPSOHVRI7UDGHVPHQ¶VVODQJfor tailors:
a. +RXVHRISDUOLDPHQWPHDQVDPHHWLQJRIWDLORU¶VDVVLVWDQWDQGDSSUHQWLFHV in the shop, especially for a serious purpose.
b. 7UDGHVPHQ¶V VODQJ IRU EXWFKHUV µ7XUNH\ EX\HU¶ PHDQV D SHUVRQ RI considerable importance.
13
c. 7UDGHVPHQ¶VIRUFKHPLVWµ6\UXS¶PHDQVPRQH\ d. 7UDGHVPHQ¶V VODQJ IRU EXLOGHUV µODQQHO MDFNHW¶ PHDQV WKH QDYY\ RQ
heavy work has so long and so unexceptionally worn flannel.
5. Slang in Art
Slang in art emerges in seventeenth century, it quickly adopted by society. Moreover, it is considerable difficult than other slang terms, the meaning is hard
to be guessed even in the present day. Here are several examples:
a. Walled means same as hung, which, to some extent, it displaced. b. XQLRQ\ PHDQV VKRZLQJ LQ RQH¶V SDLQWing, a very marked tendency to
lumpiness of outline. c. Crocks mean ornamental China.
6. Slang in Publicity
This type of slang is often used for commerce, because much of modern commerce depends on publicity, a firms needs the catchy phrase or rhymes that
can impress the public. Here are several examples:
a. Sunlight means soap. b. :RUWKDJXLQHDDER[PHDQVHHFKDP¶VSLOOV
c. Glaxo baby means a plump and healthy child.
14
7. Society Slang
The transition from University to society is as linguistically as it actually natural, for although a university education constitutes neither a passport to good
society nor a guarantee of genuine culture it goes some distance in both directions. The centre of the universe is a society, now society is ever in search of novelty
and it is a limited body of well-to-do women and men of leisure. For these persons, there arises a kind of special vocabulary, which is constantly changing
with changing fashion. There is much slang in the colloquial speech of society, most of words
soon disappear, but a considerable number of them make good their place in ordinary speech. Moreover, slang in society shows a joyously or jauntily over the
REMHFWDQGWKHSUDFWLFHRIWKHVODQJVWHU¶VRZQFDOOLQJ6LQFHWKHZDUVRFLHW\KDV become less walled-in, less snobbish, less clannish, so the speech is being
fertilized more and more with technical terms and more importantly, with colloquial and slangy terms from the world of commerce and manual work, such
as journalism, art, etc. In short, from life it is lived, not life as it is permitted by a FRPIRUWDEOH LQFRPH QRW OLIH LQ ZKLFK DWWHQWLRQ QHHG WR EH SDLG RQO\ WR RQH¶V
social equals. Here are examples of the society slang: a. Cyrano means a huge nose.
b. Rothschild means a very rich man. c. Get the morbs means to become temporarily melancholic.
d. 7KRX¶PHDQVDWKRXVDQGSRXQGVterling.
15
8. Slang of Commerce
This slang is used in trade and the words are closely related to the trade or commerce. According to Professor Collison this slang is: ³2IEXVLQHVVWUDQVDFWLRQ
on the various exchanges the man in the street will have heard of the formation of WUXVWV DQG ULQJV FRQFHUQLQJ D FRPPRGLW\´
12
It is often use by businessman, mostly used in stock exchange. Here are examples of the slang of commerce:
a. Take the rate means to borrow stock, likewise give the rate is to lend stock.
b. Rig means a combined effort to rise the price of stock artificially and without regard to its merits.
c. Shunt means to buy and sell securities between two home exchanges.
9. Slang in Public School and University
The user of this slang is student, in public house, as in board and private schools. There have two kinds of slang; a slang proper and gibberish. The other
kind of slang is almost impossible to generalize, for every school has special ZRUGVNQRZQE\RWKHUVFKRRO+HUHDUHH[DPSOHVRISXEOLFVFKRROVODQJµ:UX[¶
PHDQVDURWWHURUKXPEXJµXQJ¶PHDQVOLHµ:KDW¶VDPDW¶PHDQVZKDWLVWKH matter.
The slang that used in university is considerable different with public school slang, when boys leave school and go to university, they tend to drop the
old slang and to mould themselves to the slang of the university. Growing boys
12
Eric Patridge 1954, op.cit. 167.
16
and high spirited young fellows detest restraint of all kinds, and prefer making a dash at life in slang phraseology of their own to all the set forms and syntactical
rules of alma mater. Here are examples of the university slang:
a. Wine means a wine party. b. Leccer means a lecture.
c. Tea-pot means a tea party. d. Rugger means football, played to rugby rules, soccer being association
football.
10. Slang in Theatre
According to historical of slang language, slang using for the first time on stage in seventh century. Until the end of eighteenth century, actors were so
despised that, in self-protection, they had certain words that properly should be describe as slang. But after regency they rapidly became more esteemed and by
WKHHQGRI9LFWRULD¶VUHLJQWKH\DWWDLQHGDZHOO-establish position on the margin of society, which the prominent actors and actress now mingle if not, at least on an
independent. In nineteenth century, the theatre began to exercise a powerful influence
on ordinary and informal spoken English and theatrical slang gradually gained a status in the first part. Here are examples of the slang in theatre:
17
a. Paper house means a theatre that, at a given performance has an audience FRQVLVWLQJPDLQO\RIWKRVHZKRKDYHFRPHZLWK³SDSHU´FRPSOLPHQWDU\
ticket. b. Tabs means an ageing woman; from tabby.
c. Toga Play means a play on classical theme.
11. Medicine Slang
Medical slang is, from the very nature of the case, more interesting to laymen than is law slang, but we will confine ourselves to example current in the
present century. Ware gives four terms used in 1999: bone-clother, port wine, for ZKLFK VWRXW LV QRZ XVXDOO\ VXEVWLWXWHG DV D ³IDWWHQHU´ ORFXP VKRUW IRU ORFXP
tenens still very commonly employed of doctors and clergymen ; pith, the spinal chord when severed ; to be slated, to die, or more precisely to be doomed to die.
That Ware should list so few medical slangisms is not surprising, both because GRFWRUVYHU\UDUHO\WDON³VKRS´WRRWKHUVWKDQGRFWRUVDQGEHFDXVHLQWKHZRUGVRI
the one notable authority on medical slang. Below are examples of medicine slang:
a. Dope means an anesthetic; to dope, to give an anesthetic to. b. Drinks mean medicine, at the four-hourly occasions for medicine in the
wards hospital. c. Dippy means delirious.
18
12. Slang in Church
Slang has long since penetrated into forum, and now we meet in the Senate and even the pulpit itself is no longer free from its intrusion. On contrary, and
justice to clergy, it must be said that principal disseminators of pure English throughout the contrary are the ministers of established Church. Yet it cannot br
denied that a great deal of slang phraseology and expressive vulgarism have gradually crept into the very pulpits which should give forth as pure speech as
doctrine. Below are the examples of Church slang:
a. 7KH 7KUHH ¶V PHDQV EULJKW, brief, and brotherly. A protest against the soporific nature of so many Church services.
b. Workus means a Church of England pleasantry at the expense of the Methodist chapels, usually very plain, often whitewashed. In short, one is
forced to notice that slang of the cloth is neither very witty nor very tolerant.
6ROGLHUV¶6ODQJ 6ROGLHUV¶VODQJLVVODQJWHUPVWKDWFRPHIURPDURXQGWKHDUP\FRPPXQLW\
WKDW LV FRPPRQO\ XVHG E\ WKH VROGLHUV LQ VROGLHUV¶ VODQJ there are divided in several characteristics that we can see as follows:
a. ³2OG VROGLHU ZRUGV VXFK DV pawny means water, rooty means bread, swing the lead means to malinger, come the old soldier means to attempt.
b. 2IILFHUV¶DQGLQVWUXFWRUVZRUGVRIFRPPDQGVXFKDVcarry on
19
c. Nicknames, such as; aussies or canucks means Canadian, daughboys means Americans, a hun means a German.
d. Words connected with: 1
Drinking, such as; chin-chin means a toasts 2
Companionship with women, such as; square-pushing means going out with a woman, ring-money meDQVDVROGLHU¶VZLIH¶VDOORZDQFH.
3 7KHVROGLHUV¶QDPHIRUKLVSXQLVKPHQWVVXFKDVclink means prison.
4 Guns and shells, such as; dud means a bomb.
5 Borrowings from outside England, such as; dinkum means good
come from Australian. e. Words connected with civilian activities, such as; Cutthbert means a
slacker, funk-hole means a government office, comb out means to send to the front.
f. Naval words, such as; chew the fat means to grumble, hush-hush means ships.
g. Words connected with aviation, such as; to pancake means drop flat, to zoom soar vertically.
6ROGLHUV¶ VODQJ VKRZV WKH ZRUGV FRQQHFW WR WKH ZDU DQG WKH DWWULEXWHV although they divide into several characteristics the words that use mostly connect
to those things, and this slang terms generally use in soldiers community. Based on the kinds of slang, in this research, the writer will limit himself
to discuss two kinds of slang they are society slang and public house slang.
20
D. The Reasons of Using Slang
There are some reasons why people use slang, such as slang can represent WKHFHUWDLQVXEVRFLDO JURXS¶VLGHQWLW\EHFDXVHLWLV FRROLWVHHPV OLNHD fashion
when everybody likes it, and it will be often used by people. The slang usually accepted by young people, by the young people in heart as well as by the young in
years, just for fun of thing. According to Nicefero as quoted in Partridge, people use slang for any of
at least fifteen reasons: 1. In sheer high spirits, by the young people in heart as well as by the
\RXQJLQ\HDUVµMXVWIRUIXQRI WKHWKLQJ¶LQSOD\IXOQHVV 2. For delights in virtuosity.
3. To be different, to be novel. 4. To be picturesque, this could be found from songs or poems.
5. To be unmistakably arresting, even startling. 6. To escape from clichés, or to be brief and concise.
7. To enrich the language by inventing new words. 8. To lend an air of solidity, concreteness; to the abstract of earthiness to
the idealistic: of immediacy and oppositeness to the remote. 9. To reduce seriousness of a conversation.
10.To amuse superior public: this can be seen by the slang that children use towards their parents.
11. For ease of social intercourse. 12. To induce either friendliness.
13. To shows that one belongs to a certain group. 14. To show or prove that someone does not belong to a certain group.
15. To be secret, not understand by those around one children, students, lovers, member of political, are the chief exponents.
13
13
Eric Partridge 1954 op. cit. p.7.
21
Besides the reasons above, slang can also considered as unacceptable- word for other people. Even some linguists points out slang is the grunt of human
hog and the special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or vulgar type, but it depends on the particular groups in society, if it is needed they will use it.
E. Understanding of the Standard English
