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7. Society Slang
Linguistically, society is actually natural for development of language. For although a good education constitutes neither a passport to good society nor a
guarantee of genuine cultures it goes some distance in both directions. The centre of universe is society. Now society is ever in search of novelty and
it is a limited body of well-to-do women and men leisure. For these persons, there arises a kind of special vocabulary, which is constantly changing with changing
fashions. There is much slang in the colloquial speech of society, most of the words soon disappear but a considerable number of them make good their place in ordinary
speech. Generally, slang is concerned with the spirit of the universe, the world and life. Moreover, slang in society shows a joyously or jauntily over the object and the
practices of the slangster’s calling. In society and in all close cooperation, section of society slang really thrives
only where this exclusiveness is tonic, not constrictive and among the Army, public school and university, the users are very numerous. Since the war, society has
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 comfortable income, not life
in which attention need to be paid only to one’s social equals. Below are some examples of the society slang
a. Come out means to appear in society. Now almost become Standard English.
xxix b. Turn down One’s cup means to die.
c. Up-to-death means modernity. d. Vogue means fashion.
8. Slang in Art
Slang in art is still related to society. Words or phrases of slang in art are quickly adopted by society, although there are only a few words known as artistic
slang. Slang in art appears in seventeenth century when slang was brought in the stage for the first time in Richard Brome’s comedy A Fovial Crew and Shakespeare
also uses slang language in his art. However slang words in art are more difficult than the other slang words. The meaning is hard to be guessed even in the present day.
Below are some examples of slang in art a. Sculpt means to work in sculpture.
b. Put the value on means to sign a picture. c. Frame means a picture
9. Slang in Theatre
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