Sunday, May 2, 2010

Slang

Slang are informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in a language.

Hated by some (normally old or dull) people, slang puts the colour into colloquial languageSlang can be playful, humorous, and irreverent.  It's cool!

It's also incredibly diverse and constantly changing. Each social group, like kids of a certain age,  junkies, jazz musicians, professional criminals or students has its own slang, as do geographical areas.

Here are just a few examples of slang that have been around in Britain since I was a kid:

Chuffed. Standard English: pleased, happy, proud. "I'm really chuffed I passed my exam"
Gobsmacked Standard English: very surprised. "When she told me she was emigrating I was gobsmacked."
Gutted. Standard English: very disappointed. "I'm gutted our team lost in the semi-finals"

Do you know any others? Check out a slang dictionary - but remember - they're only suitable for informal use :-)

2 comments:

  1. Hi!

    Excuse me Ms. "mental" is a slang word to designate "crazy person"?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, it is! Doesn't necessarily mean "insane", though, can be a fun way to say "a bit different" or "angry".

    ReplyDelete