When communicating, people often spice up their speech with peculiar words and phrases that are jargon or slang. It is difficult to draw a clear line between these vocabulary options, but still, at some points you can see the difference.

General information

Jargon- specific words and expressions that initially arise in the communication of people connected by the same profession, social position or having other common interests. The purpose of using jargon is not only to express one's belonging to a certain group and make speech expressive, but also to accelerate communication and mutual understanding. After all, many words that are unsuitable for official instructions can bring noticeable convenience to the business conversation of professionals.

Jargon comes from the literary language. Vocabulary is subjected to rethinking, metaphorization, reduction and other changes. Examples of jargon: parade - full dress ( army jargon), skier - sick, leaning on a crutch (medical jargon), lean back - free himself (prison jargon). In terms of the degree of openness for the entire language community, jargon occupies an intermediate niche between the "secret" slang, serving the interests of narrow circles, and slang.

Slang- popular vocabulary that does not meet the requirements of the language and is often familiar to one degree or another. The emotional coloring of such words and phrases can vary from playful and friendly to dismissive and cynical. Slang is mainly used in a situation of easy communication. Examples of slangisms: to get - to bother, to cut in - to understand, Otpad - excellent. Often slang vocabulary is replenished by referring to other languages. For example, in the word "aggro" (angry), a borrowing from English speech can be traced remotely.

Comparison

Thus, jargon is characterized by a more rigid social and group orientation. Some of this vocabulary has to do with special terminology that only some people can understand. The difference between jargon and slang is that jargon appears in a particular group, often in connection with some kind of innovation or development. Slang, in addition to its own word formation, often draws its material from the jargon of different groups of society, selecting the most common and popular. Based on this, slang is sometimes referred to as general jargon.

It should be noted that special words, penetrating from the sphere of communication of a particular group of people into common speech, often somewhat change their original meaning. For example, the "six" in certain circles is called the one who serves the thieves. In ordinary language, such a word can be contemptuously called any insignificant person.

Slang, due to its lightness and mobility, is more associated with youth speech, but it also enjoys considerable popularity among older people. In general, compared to jargon, slang is more mass-produced. Its social limitations, although present, are rather blurred. The carriers of the same slangisms can be people different professions and educational status, having a criminal past and quite decent and intelligent.

What is the difference between jargon and slang? Jargon is something more established, many words in it are very old. Slang is more tied to the current historical time. He sensitively reacts to the changes taking place in the life of society and accurately reflects the latest trends in the new trendy vocabulary.

Along with the literary language, there is a huge lexical layer called slang. Answering the question: “Slang - what is it?”, It should be noted that these are words that are not commonly used, they are usually used by a specific, certain circle of people in common speech. Although in some cases it occurs in fiction if the author needs to convey the live speech of the character.

Composition of slang

Slang didn't come out of nowhere. It just appeared recently. A couple of decades ago, people did not use the word "slang", they did not know what it was. But there were such definitions as jargon, slang, vulgarism, obscene language, dialectisms, vernacular, professionalism. Today, all these separate lexical layers have merged together, forming a group called "slang". What it is, whether the Russian language needs it is a moot point, which cannot be answered unambiguously.

Slang that has no place in the language

It is safe to say that the presence of jargon, slang, obscene language and vulgarism in speech greatly spoil the language. Therefore, every self-respecting cultured person should avoid using such words. Unfortunately, today even the media, venerable writers and politicians consider it possible to use base slang, calling this position linguistic democratization. Many pseudo-scientists bring ridiculous evidence under their platform, trying to convincingly argue the harmlessness of the layer of speech under consideration. In fact, such an attitude to the language is the first step towards lack of culture and loss of national pride. It is possible to explain the reason for the emergence of this slang group, but we should not forget that obscenity and obscene language are a curse that falls on the speaker himself.

Professionalisms as an integral part of slang

There is a semantic group of lexical units called "professional slang". words that are not considered generally accepted, but are used exclusively by a group of people of a particular profession. For example, flasks among sailors represent bells that chime the hours. A railroad shoe is a device used to brake cars. This should also include computer slang: "keyboard" - keyboard, "mother" - motherboard, "window" - operating system Windows, "dead" - deteriorated and so on. And since almost all young people are fond of computers today, computer professionalism is simultaneously included in youth slang. What is it - we will consider further.

The language of the young: an interpreter is indispensable!

Indeed, this layer of Russian vocabulary is quite difficult to understand. ordinary person, which does not rotate in the circle of the younger generation. You can even compile a dictionary of informal vocabulary used by young people. For example, "gamka" is called chewing gum, "swindler" - fraud. "Gansuk" - this word in the mouths of young people means German, and "diss" is the name of rap that humiliates the work of another rapper. Interestingly, the word "laurel" today is called money. And more recently, synonyms financial resources there were slang words “cabbage” and “grandmother”, which successfully migrated from the youth lexicon to the vernacular.

colloquial slang

Many words from narrow professional vocabulary or youth jargon pass into the speech of most people. For example, narcologists among themselves began to call delirium tremens "squirrel". Social networks full of lol pictures illustrating the process of transferring meaning from a phrase to a homonym word. People also often use the words “shabashka” or “kalym” - a side job, “button accordion” - an old joke, “a bearded anecdote”. Most lexemes have become colloquial slang by changing their etymological meaning. Take, for example, the word "bitch", which means, by the way, the dead carcass of an animal (that's why the vultures). At first it became a definition of the type of women and had a negative connotation. And today, the negative connotation has evaporated, and being called a bitch is not only not insulting, but also prestigious. Many words appear in colloquial slang by shortening the name. These are: "tel", "great", "microwave", "washer", "shop", "sotik", "comp", "laptop" and others. There is another way that words appear in colloquial slang - this is the use of foreign units adapted to the Russian language by adding endings or letter (wrong) reading. The first case can be illustrated with the word "akhtungov" - to pay attention, and the second demonstrates the word "girl".

Thus, slang is informal vocabulary, the use of which is unacceptable in literary speech, with the exception of artistic techniques. The language of a politician or a teacher who clogs his speech with slang words, thus trying to "get closer" to the people, is perceived as inappropriate and vulgar.

ACCORDING TO DICTIONARIES

JARGON, - [French. jargon] Speech of some kind. social or professional group containing a large number of words and expressions peculiar only to this group (often artificial, secret or conditional); slang. Student, youth Marine Thieves J. Use jargon. Speak in jargon.

SLANG, [English] slang] 1. Speech of a socially or professionally isolated group; jargon. 2. Elements of speech that do not coincide with the norm of the literary language (usually expressively colored).

ARGO, [French. argot]. Lingu. Some speech. a small social closed group, which differs from the national language in vocabulary, but does not have its own phonetics and grammatical system; jargon. Vorovskoye a.

COMMENT

These three terms have both similarities and differences. All of them refer to the language of certain social or professional groups, but differ in the degree of isolation, in the volume of use in speech, and in the level of stability and renewal.

ARGO is the language of a closed SOCIAL GROUP with a complete replacement of common vocabulary.

JARGON encompasses both social and professional groups; in addition, he is less closed in relation to these groups and is not completely isolated from ordinary speech.

SLANG is the same jargon, but even more vague, it can go beyond social and professional groups and is used by ordinary users to indicate the expression of speech. In addition, its composition is constantly changing and updating, which is most characteristic of the youth environment. Accordingly, it is often said about youth slang.

Are you in favor of grandparents actively mastering slang in order to be able to understand their grandchildren? Stopping a few steps away, they looked at Dolores and cracked jokes, the underground meaning of which he still did not catch - perhaps it was some kind of youth slang. Oh, this newfangled slang, I can’t get used to it, sir, excuse the old woman). This slang is already familiar to ordinary people who carefully watch TV.

"Bepeshka" (from BP - no breed) - professional slang for "horsemen". Bank money, sorry for the slang, fried Such is his last performance - despite today's slang, he came to 2002 from another time. We are not executed for such songs, but they will not be played on the radio either, even light slang is not welcome there. This slang is already familiar to ordinary people who carefully watch TV.

Previously, jargon was the lot of clear social and professional groups. (Sergey Dovlatov). Well, I knew how to trail something (follow the trail, hunting jargon - RR). Computer jargon is the fastest growing language in the world.

Introduction

Linguistics of the last twenty years has actively switched from the study of written language to the study and analysis of direct live communication. An outstanding linguist L.V. Shcherba said: “... literary language he himself creates less than he takes what is created by life, and linguistic life beats and boils mainly in spoken language separate human groups. Slang is influenced by social, spatial, age, and temporal changes. Now the variety of slang is quite large. For example: computer, student, school, youth, press, etc. We will consider two types of slang, the most interesting, in my opinion: youth and computer.

Informal vocabulary makes the language brighter, more expressive and more attractive. Ways and methods of slang formation are very diverse. Here are the main methods of slang formation, which, in my opinion, cover most of the current slang vocabulary:

• 1) full borrowing;
• 2) borrowing the basis;
• 3) translation:
  • a) using standard vocabulary in a special meaning;
  • b) using slightly other professional groups.

Slang and its meaning

What is "slang"? I have not been able to find an exact answer to this question. Since there is a huge number of all kinds of definitions, such as "obscene colloquial speech", "the language of the lower strata, illiterate dissolute people", "words and expressions used by people of certain professions or age groups"," poetry common man". In English lexicography, the term "slang" became widespread around the beginning of the last century. The etymology of this term is controversial and has not been accurately established by any of the Soviet or foreign linguists dealing with this problem. A figurative definition of slang is revealed in the work of J. B. Greenough and J. L. Kittridge: “slang is a vagabond language that wanders around literary speech, constantly trying to make its way into the most sophisticated society.” It is the picture created by the author that helps us to clarify this concept. A rather interesting explanation of slang was given by Karl Stenberg: “a tongue that rolls up its sleeves, spits in the palm of your hand and gets to work.” From a linguist's point of view, slang is a style of language that occupies a place directly opposite to highly formal speech. From slang to colloquial speech many words and expressions came. Their appearance is connected with the desire of young people to express their attitude to the subject, phenomenon more vividly, more emotionally. The expressiveness of slang vocabulary contributes to the fact that words from slang turn into common colloquial everyday speech, not bound by strict rules. literary norms. Having taken a stable position in the national language, slang becomes integral part common property.

There are general opinions that the word "slang" comes from the word "sling" (throw, throw), in which it was used in a vivid archaic expression "to sling one" s jaw ", which means" to speak violent or offensive speeches. "It is believed that that the main source of slang is English, as the most common on the planet.Slang leaves its mark on the lifestyle of the entire planet.Studies have shown that the origin of slang is fraught with a combination of two factors: human and social.

Much slang is the use of more energetic, expressive, or funny words instead of commonly used ones: for example, "pooh" or "mutt" instead of "dog", "rug" instead of "wig". So in the 80s, along with increased attention to the money side of life, obsolete synonyms for “money” such as “peff”, “rhino”, “dosh” and others returned. The slang of each historical era reflected its features of the time. The meaning of the word bonus (“bonus”, “premium”) was once known only to a narrow circle of stock brokers, now this word is component basic vocabulary of English language. Moreover, on the basis of this word, such phrases as bonus job - piece work and bonus system - bonus payment system were formed.

Inexhaustible sources of slang are the media and the Internet. They are able to accurately distribute slang vocabulary without interrupting the transmission even for a minute. They allow millions of people to receive certain information in a minimum time.