The Use of Slang in England - Essay Example

Blast- (noun) great time. This party is a blast to an extent that for the first time, every guest stayed awake until morning. The youthful (13-40 years) group is likely to use this word. There are no cultural, religious or class-related inhibitions that can hinder the use of this word. This makes the word very popular. This word is commonly used among the youth and in less formal settings such as entertainment. 2. Drag- (adjective) boring, uneventful, bland, unexciting. Jeff finds the lectures to be such a drag, he normally sleeps through them. Again, the youthful bracket (13-40 years) has the highest propensity to use this word since it lacks cultural, religious, cultural and class-related inhibitions. The usage of this word is commonest among the youth and is very scarce in formal or elderly settings. 3. Getting laid- (verb phrase) having sex. She considers this beautiful landscape an ideal place for getting laid. The youthful in age are likely to use this lexicon. Although there are no religious, cultural and economic inhibitions that may restrict its usage, the religiously conservative consider sex as being too serious to be described thus loosely. This phrase is mostly used by the youthful and in less formal settings and audience such as entertainment. 4. Giving head- (verb phrase) performing oral sex on someone. Most women have their reservations towards giving head to strangers. Because of its heavy sexual connotations and denotation, the word is mostly used by the mature youth who are already sexually active. There are no class restrictions that may inhibit the use of this phrase but religious conservatives maintain reservations towards the word. 5. Jacking off- (verb phrase) masturbation. Experts are beginning to warn that there are dangers that accompany compulsive or habitual jacking off. This phrase has strong sexual denotations and connotations, thereby restricting it to the mature youth. Again, this group may use it exclusively as language register (keeping it away from those outside their social circles). This phrase cuts across all economic divides, but its usage is less popular among the ultra-religious. 6. Knock up- (verb phrase) impregnate. Jane got herself knocked up as an artifice to getting married. This verb phrase is mostly used by the mature youth. Its old profile has steered it clear of teenage use. The phrase cuts across all economic divides but fails to penetrate the ultra-religious due to it being a taboo word. The phrase is used in informal settings and in the presence of youthful audience that is also part of the speaker’s social network. 7. MILF- (noun) Mother I would Like to Fuck. It is tragic that most guys nowadays consider women as MILFs instead of respecting them. This acronym is commonest among the youth and has already infiltrated teenagers through electronic media, especially the Internet. The word permeates all social classes but remains widely unaccepted among Christians since its last initial is a taboo word and an expletive. The audience is mainly the youth and the audience is very informal. 8. OMG- (interjection) online social jargon and short form for, ‘Oh my God!’ The baby is inserting its fingers into the oven; OMG! The use of this word permeates all socioeconomic classes and ages, with some Christians being the exception. This is because Christians consider the use of the word as tantamount to trifling with God’s name and a transgression of the Third Commandment. The word is commonly used in an informal setting and audience, particularly in online social networks. 9. Phat- (adjective) classic, classy, stylish. Her fashion sense is phat because it has a mixture of both style and decency. This word is commonest among the youthful African American because of its concomitance with the hip hop culture. Like other slang words, its use remains in the informal setting and audience in the form of song lyrics, movies and peer group language register. There are no religious and class inhibitions to the use of the word. 10. Hustle- (verb) to struggle to make it in life. He hustled his way into money, power and fame. This word is commonest among the African American youth, due to the influence of hip hop culture. Though other races are likely to use the word in the same way, the elderly and mature adults do not use it because it purely denotes prostitution. For this reason too, the word remains a preserve of the youth from different social classes. 11. Own- (verb) to conquer and dominate. Hey, check out this clip and see how this rhinoceros owns this buffalo. This word is commonly used by the youth from all social classes and religious convictions. However, it is strictly targeted at the informal audience in movies, interpersonal discourse, song lyrics, theatre performances and concerts. 12. POD- (adjective) to get post overdose with drugs. What a shame that songs nowadays glorify drugs abuse and getting POD! This word is strictly common among the youth and it cuts across social classes and religious affiliations. The word remains a preserve of the informal setting and audience, and is replete in song lyrics, youthful language register, concerts and live stage performances. 13. Mary Jane (Noun) marijuana. Be warned; doctors are saying that a puff of Mary Jane kills the brain’s dendrites and dendrons. This noun phrase is common among the youth and it cuts across social classes and religious affiliations. Nevertheless, the influence of rap and hip hop gives it a greater acquaintance with the African American youth. The phrase remains a preserve of the informal setting and audience, and is found in song lyrics, youthful language register, concerts and live stage performances. 14. PG/ paged (Adjective) pregnant. Her symptomatic morning malaise is making me gradually convinced that she is paged. This word is common among the youth and it cuts across all religions, social classes but remains restricted to informal settings and audience. The word is nevertheless commonest among ladies since they consider it as the best euphemism for pregnancy. 15. Camel toes (Noun) visible outline of the labia majora, as is shown by tightly fitting apparel. to avoid the embarrassment of camel toes, keep off very tight fitting dresses. This phrase has sexual connotations, and thereby restricts its use to the youth. Again, this group may use it exclusively as language register to keep it away from those outside their social circles. This phrase pervades all economic divides, but its usage is less popular among the ultra-religious. 16. Fa shizzle ma nizzle (adverbial) for sure my Negro. Fa shizzle ma nizzle, many find your postulations on race relations brilliant. This word is an exclusive to the youthful African American because of its close affiliation with the hip hop culture. The word nizzle strictly locks out other races from using the phrase since it is a stylish form for the word nigger. Like other slang words, its use remains in the informal setting and audience in the form of song lyrics, movie scripts and peer group language register. There are no class inhibitions to the use of the word but strict Christians may not use the word because the word nigger is derogatory. 17. Ripped- (adjective) to have a muscular form. Dude has been working in the gym lately; he is ripped. This word is common among the youth and it cuts across social classes and religious affiliations. It remains a preserve of the informal setting and audience, and is found in online discussion hubs, song lyrics, youthful language register, concerts and live stage performances. 18. WTF- (interjection) online social jargon and short form for ‘What the fuck!’ Learn to understand the meaning of online social jargons such as WTF before you post them. This word is commonest among the youth and has already infiltrated teenagers through electronic media, particularly the Internet. The word permeates all social classes but remains widely unaccepted among Christians since its last initial is a taboo word and an expletive. The audience is mainly the youth and the audience is very informal. The word is frequently splashed in online commentaries and online social hubs. 19. Wicked- (adjective) classic, good, classy, stylish. That song is wicked: it has scaled the charts within a week. This word is commonly used by the youth from all social classes and religious convictions. However, it is strictly targeted at the informal audience as it graces movie scripts, song lyrics, online comments, online social networks, theatre performances and concerts. 20. Boo- (noun) girlfriend or boyfriend. Alec broke Greg’s nose, on sensing that Greg was wooing his boo. This word boo is common among the youth from all social classes and religious convictions. However, since the word features ominously in rap and hip hop, the African American youth tends to use it more frequently than any other group. Like many other slang words, it is strictly targeted at the informal audience, being readily encountered in movie scripts, song lyrics, online comments, online social networks, theatre performances and concerts. Works Cited Munro, Pamela. Slang U. New York: Harmony Books, 2001. Print Read More