Abstract

American slang functions not only as a linguistic instrument but also as a sociolinguistic medium. American slang has various characteristics, such as humor, instability, conciseness as well as originality. The focus of this paper is to develop its sociolinguistic functions so as to help people better understand this language form. It is found that the sociolinguistic functions of American slang include the display of self-identity, the conveyance of emotions as well as the display of politeness. The use of certain slang can be seen as a gesture to show a sense of belonging for a certain group. Despite its important sociolinguistic functions, American slang is still viewed as vulgar expressions to be used. Moreover, the general public has the stereotype that American slang is derived from colloquial language, and that it is too casual to be used on formal and important occasions. This paper has argued that due to the fact that American slang has been closely related to social environment and has carried important sociolinguistic functions, it is important for people to remove the pre-conception and prejudice against American slang and better interpret the significance of American slang.

Key words: American slang; functions; sociolinguistics; prejudice

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

2 An Overview of American Slang-2

2.1 Definition of Slang-2

2.2 Characteristics of American Slang-4

2.2.1 The Sense of Humor-4

2.2.2 The Feature of Conciseness-5

2.2.3 The Feature of Originality-5

2.2.4 The Feature of Instability-6

3 The Sociolinguistic Functions of American Slang-6

3.1 The Display of Self-identity-6

3.2 The Conveyance of Emotions-7

3.3 Expression of Politeness-8

4 The Prejudice towards and Significance of American Slang-9

5 Cautions in Using Slang-11

6 Conclusion-12

References-13

Acknowledgements-14