Flashcards on The Evolution and Impact of Slang
The Evolution and Impact of Slang: A Student's Guide
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Jargon
36 cards
Card 1
Question: According to the experts cited in the text, what is 'slang'?
Answer: A linguistic variety used by groups to include or exclude, carrying social, political, and emotional weight; it often contains informal or borrowed wo
Card 2
Question: What concern do some linguists have about young people's use of slang?
Answer: That young people use it indiscriminately and lose the ability to adapt their language to formal contexts, leaving them ill-prepared to communicate ef
Card 3
Question: What term does Paul Kerswill use to describe the new way of speaking among young Londoners?
Answer: «Multicultural English»: a composite dialect (part Cockney, Caribbean, West African, Bangladeshi, Kuwaiti) that appears to be replacing traditional Co
Card 4
Question: What does 'appropriacy' mean in the context of language?
Answer: The ability to use the appropriate linguistic variety depending on the context (e.g., formal language in exams, slang in the school playground).
Card 5
Question: What measure did a Manchester school take regarding the use of slang, and what was the result according to the headteacher?
Answer: It banned slang among students; the headteacher claimed that exam results increased and that students were better equipped for the professional world.
Card 6
Question: Why does Benjamin Zephaniah consider it impossible to ban slang?
Answer: Because there's no 'language police,' and many slang expressions come from other languages, integrating into everyday use (e.g., 'big up' from Jamaica
Card 7
Question: What examples of words from other languages does the text mention to illustrate the multicultural nature of English?
Answer: Zoo (French), pyjamas (from India), shampoo (Urdu), television (part Latin, part Greek).
Card 8
Question: According to Tony Thorne, what social function does slang have besides communicating information?
Answer: It serves to include group members and exclude those who don't belong, reinforcing identity and group belonging.
Card 9
Question: According to Tony Thorne, has slang really increased, or has something else changed?
Answer: Its existence hasn't increased; what has changed is that slang is now more public and visible in media, television, and music, freeing itself from pre
Card 10
Question: According to the text's concluding thought, what could be an alternative to banning slang?
Answer: Instead of banning it, the key might be to understand it better (teaching its use and context and how to adapt it according to the situation).