The linguistic status of slang in modern linguistics

Аннотация

Slang occupies an important place in the communicative field of society. Since the vocabulary that is part of slang has special features that are not characteristic of the literary language, this phenomenon attracts the attention of linguists, it is the subject of research in world linguistics. In addition, slang is often used outside of one social group, its use affects literary norm, which leads to its gradual transformation. Key words: slang, jargon, sociolect, linguistic universal, globalization Today the process of globalization is one of the most pressing topics in the linguistic studies. Language is an evolving phenomenon. Society does not stand still, it is constantly developing and improving, and hence the language along with it. Since globalization affects the political, economic and cultural spheres of life, it also concerns the language. According to R. Robertson [1987], globalization is a process of ever- increasing impact on the social reality of individual countries of various factors of international significance: economic and political ties, cultural and information exchange, etc. [Robertson, 1987]. Significant changes in the social life of countries that speak a particular language are also reflected in changes in the language and its vocabulary. Thus, some words regularly disappear from linguistic use, new ones appear, and some old words acquire new meanings. Since slang is used in various areas of public life, it is a living and dynamic entity and an integral part of the modern language. In this regard, it seems important to consider the definition of slang, referring to its etymology, as well as to study modern approaches to its interpretation. Language is the basis of the culture of any nation. Language is the cultural 102 Topical issues of language training in the globalized world heritage of the people, which includes such definitions as traditions, customs, folklore, etc., and any changes in the language lead to an imbalance in the cultural sphere of people. Language, speech is a sign of belonging of its carriers to a certain society. And slang, like jargon is characteristic in any language. Until now, the phenomenon of slang remains an open question for many linguists and lexicographers. There is no single definition of the term “slang” at the moment, so there are many contradictions. Many linguists confuse the concepts behind the terms “slang”, “jargon”, “slang”, “dialect” and “vulgarism”. Some linguists classify slang as a type of jargon. The etymology of the word “slang” is disputed: there are many theories in linguistics as to where this concept came from in the language. One of the earliest interpreters of the etymology of the word “slang” was J. Hotten, who believed that it comes from the gypsy word “slang”, meaning “secret language” [Ganzel, 1965]. In general, the term slang is closer to the Western (American) linguistic tradition and in its definition has gone from a broad understanding, when phonetic, lexical, morphological and syntactic differences with established language norms were summed up under this term [Galperin, 1956 p.110], to its current state determined by the following statement: “Slang - A variety of speech characterized by newly coins and rapidly changing vocabulary, used by the young or by social and professional groups for ‘in-group’ communication and thus tending to prevent understanding by the rest of the speech community” [Carter, 2011]. Slang is first and foremost distinguished by emotionally expressive coloring of the vocabulary. Unlike jargons, it includes lexical units that by origin belong to different social groups. Slang is common among a large number of people, stable enough for a specific period of time and heterogeneous in its structure. Next let us consider the terminology of jargon as linguistic phenomenon. The term “hargot” is of French origin. Many researchers define it as obscure in origin and refer to the interpretation of A. Dose (1938-1954), who considered the very lexeme “hargot” to be related to the French verb hargoter - “to scold” [Lipatov, 2010 p. 53]. The term jargon is expressively interpreted by O. S. Akhmanova as a language used 103 Topical issues of language training in the globalized world (usually in oral communication) by a separate social group or the purpose of linguistic isolation, separation from the rest of this linguistic community, sometimes for cryptographic purposes [Akhmanova, 1969 p. 148]. Later, V.N. Yartseva gives a definition of the term jargon, which lacks such a feature as the sealing of verbal communication, which used to be characteristic of jargon [Yartseva, 1998 p. 151]. Slang is a linguistic universal, while it is similar to professional and social jargon. Slang and slang are united by their depreciation, metaphor, as well as the dominance of the representative function. Jargon is similar to slang in its unboudness. However, slang, unlike professional and social jargons, is the same for the speech of