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Should you learn slang? | ||
Tags: Slang | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 5130 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes  Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 33 of 51 25 November 2012 at 2:32am | IP Logged | |||||
Or perhaps even understanding how loaded a word may be in certain circumstances. R. == 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4668 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 34 of 51 25 November 2012 at 2:54am | IP Logged | |||||
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Two problems with the slang:
1) expressions come and go easily, 90% of the slang database is completely refreshed every 2-3 years, so the slang from 5 years ago may sound so ''dated'' , 1980/90 slang words like ''groovy'' or ''way rad'' sound ancient. 2) regional variation: hella good is okay in S. Francisco, but not really in San Diego (or Boston); wicked for ''awesome'' is borderline acceptable (although dated) in Boston, but unheard of in L.A. or Denver... In Brazilian Portuguese, every city has its own slang. ''Awesome'' is said 1. da hora in São Paulo; 2. maneiro in Rio; 3. massa in Vitória and the Northeast...If you mix slang words from different cities you will sound like a weirdo or like a drunken wacko. So, slang is a poor long term investment. All dictionaries make distinctions between ''slang'' and ''informal''. ''Informal''-labeled words and expressions seem to last much longer. 90% of slang words get out of fashion and are replaced with newer, better, ''hotter'' words. Only 10% of slang words stay and are upgraded to the status of ''informal expression'' (instead of just ''lowly'' slang). ''Cool'' and ''awesome'' (in the sense of ''excellent'') and ''gross'' (for disgusting) are examples of these rare words that orinated as slang, but are now treated as just ''informal expressions''... Edited by Medulin on 25 November 2012 at 3:07am 7 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Zireael Triglot Senior Member Poland Joined 4651 days ago 518 posts - 636 votes Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English | Message 35 of 51 26 November 2012 at 1:03pm | IP Logged | |||||
Hey, beeping is present in Polish TV, too. And "kurwa" is seen as a punctuation mark by uneducated blue-collar workers in Poland, true, but I resent the assumption that all Poles speak like that!
Not only Norwegians. I've been doing it to. Recently, I switched to Spanish since my parents could tell when I was swearing in English... 3 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| PistolPete Newbie Scotland Joined 4382 days ago 28 posts - 33 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Latin, Italian | Message 36 of 51 26 November 2012 at 1:56pm | IP Logged | |||||
Yeah, I agree learning slang should not be a top priority but I think it introduces a greater element of fun when learning. I think it's more interesting and engaging when you're talking with native speakers too, rather than going through the motions: "my name is...; I am from... etc" Using the phrase "guay del paraguay" with some Spaniards was more amusing than just saying "Ola! Buenos Dias!" 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4668 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 37 of 51 27 November 2012 at 7:22am | IP Logged | |||||
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I've been told Guay del Paraguay is already ''dated slang'' :(
I had my ''slang period'' two years ago, and many Spaniards objected to my usage of slang. (My source was Collins and Oxford Dictionaries)... They said it made me sound like a silly suburban teenager. And medical doctors in their late twenties don't sound like that (or at least shouldn't sound like that)... Edited by Medulin on 27 November 2012 at 7:27am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6582 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 38 of 51 27 November 2012 at 7:55am | IP Logged | |||||
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Slang is mostly an issue if you're at a pretty advanced level. If you're at a pretty advanced level, chances are you're watching TV shows and engaging with the speech community. If you're engaging with the speech community, chances are you'll be getting your slang naturally and you'll keep it updated.
Also, using dated slang is totally radical, man. I find it makes for a great relaxed atmosphere when I get that groan and the "nobody speaks like that anymore". Then I insist on speaking like that anyway and if I don't overdo it I'm the life of the party. Hell, I use outdated slang all the time in my native language. And I'd rather sound like a weirdo than a bore. So relax and try it out. Have fun with the language. Slang is the bleeding edge of language development. It's where the language invites you back to her place and takes her clothes off. Slang is where the party's at. Chill, have a taste and just try to avoid chugging down too much if it's your first time. (That's right, I'm not just using dated slang, I'm mixing metaphors, too! Deal with it.) Edited by Ari on 27 November 2012 at 8:03am 8 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| Josquin Heptaglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4844 days ago 2266 posts - 3992 votes Speaks: German*, English, French, Latin, Italian, Russian, Swedish Studies: Japanese, Irish, Portuguese, Persian | Message 39 of 51 27 November 2012 at 1:34pm | IP Logged | |||||
I never implied all Poles spoke like that and I certainly don't know why everybody is panicking about sounding "educated". I'm flexible in my niveau. I certainly wouldn't speak to my boss the same way as to my friends, but in my peer group there might be some serious cursing from time to time. And we all have university degrees. It's just being informal among friends. 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| maydayayday Pentaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5219 days ago 564 posts - 839 votes Speaks: English*, German, Italian, SpanishB2, FrenchB2 Studies: Arabic (Egyptian), Russian, Swedish, Turkish, Polish, Persian, Vietnamese Studies: Urdu | Message 40 of 51 27 November 2012 at 8:09pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I don't even understand the slang register in English as it changes so fast. So I have no urge to learn Spanish slang.
Informal register I do work on... just not sports terms. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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