Olga N. Antimonova
M.H.Dulaty Taraz State University
The
modern usage of student’s slang in English, Russian and Kazakh languages
The understanding of the native speakers' language is the international
problem for students. They get knowledge only on the bases of standard languages, including standard English, Russian or Kazakh. Students who
study English in M.H.Dulaty Taraz State University aren’t prepared to
the streets, accommodations, pubs where own language is used by young people.
They use other words - slang.
In some modern researches English (so as Russian and Kazakh) is divided
into two different languages: the Standard English language and slang. This
fact proves that slang comes to be a very numerous part of modern languages. “Slang
covers a lot of drawbacks of the English language and it is one-third part of
the colloquial speech.”
There are some theories about role of slang in modern language. It is considered slang to be the
vulgar part of the language. These followers state that slang words are used
only by the uneducated part of the British.
Russian and Kazakh speaking students of course have problems in
translating English slang, especially in communication (chatting) in Internet.
To tell the truth, Russian and Kazakh speaking students also use students’
slang.
That is why the present work is devoted to this social phenomenon in
English, Russian and Kazakh languages.
The objective of the work is an attempt to study the certain aspects of student’s
slang in English, Russian and Kazakh languages, the cases of its usage and forming.
To achieve the set aim we determine the following tasks:
1. to search the origin of slang;
2. to understand the aim of the modern usage of slang;
3. to study the ways of the students’slang words
formation in English, Russian and Kazakh languages
4. to define the main reasons of slang
popularity among students of M.H.Dulaty Taraz State University.
Slang has become a part of modern speech– and student’s
slang in particular. Slang’s primary purpose is to establish the sense of
commonalty among the speakers as it
contains a subtext to the primary message which is sometimes understandable
only for the members of the subculture group.
The origin of slang is uncertain. It is not really a language since the
words spoken are clearly English; on the other hand, it’s not a dialect either,
since the speakers of this slang are also perfectly capable of not using it.
Slang is used for many purposes. Slang helps speakers “to play with and
enjoy the language, make words up, adopt new expressions indiscriminately, and
use language for humor, irony, sarcasm, and irreverence. Also slang allows
people to name things indirectly and figuratively, especially through metaphor,
metonymy, and irony.”
The professors N.V.Pavlova and Y.A.Kuleshova state that there is
something that attracts people to slang. They can use slang for different
reasons:
·
to make an impression;
·
to be on a colloquial level;
·
to lend an air of solidity;
·
to be novel; to be different;
·
not to be understood by somebody;
·
to demonstrate the class that one belongs to;
·
to be an interesting speaker;
·
to induce friendliness.
We chose some of these aspects and
suggested the first and second year students of M.H.Dulaty Taraz State University to indicate the most popular
points of slang using in every day speech among the student’s environment.
According
to our researches 30% has chosen point “to be on a colloquial level”, 45% -
“for pleasure and fun”, 20% - “to be an interesting speaker”. That’s why we
came to the conclusion that slang words express casual attitude of the young people to the
world, they add laughing effect to a sentence where they happen to be used.
There
are several ways of slang words formation:
1) Using borrowed
words from English (or its dialects) to
another languages (куляк, бейби, френд, фифти фифти (50 на 50), лузер (loser),)
2) Adding
special Russian or Kazakh endings to
English words (океюшки, вирусня, лошпех,)
3) Shortening of
some words (общага, физмат, and etc )
4) Using of one
word in the another meaning (тачка, мария ивановна, балмұздақ)
Nowadays
student’s slang is socially accepted not just because it is slang, but because,
when used with skill and discrimination, it adds a new and exciting dimension
to language.
Literature
1. N.V.Pavlova and Y.A.Kuleshova, Slang
as a Part of the English Language.-English 2003 №32-p.5-10
2. www.slangcity.com
3. www.free-english.com
4.Скребнев Ю.М., Основы
стилистики Английского языка.-М.: Просвещение 2004-220p.
5. Albert C. Baugh and Thomas Cable, The
History of English Language.-N.Y., 2002-251p
6. Harold Wentworth and Stuart Berg
Flexner Crowell, The Dictionary of American Slang, 2nd edition.
1975-562p.
7.
Connie Eble, Slang and Society.-N.Y. 2000-198p.