Click Here to return to the previous page

Paul Sparks - Online English Lesson Plans, Lesson Material and Ideas for Oral English Lessons, Hunan University of Science and Technology...

Characteristics of Slang

• Slang is constantly changing: slang words change more quickly than "regular" vocabulary but they change in the same ways.

• New slang replaces old slang.

• When we have a new area of meaning people come up with new slang. New computer slang like blog, or the term crack used for cocaine, are a couple of examples.

• There are lots of slang words for taboo subjects. There are a great number of terms for race, gender, drugs, sex, going to the bathroom, and alcohol consumption.

• Some slang is associated with a particular time period.

• People who spend a lot of time together often wear similar clothes, have similar hair styles, and using similar language. Knowing and using slang words that come from your community mark you a member, but using slang words for a group you are not a part of might bring ridicule.

• While much of slang is local, there are many regional and national slang terms.

• Slang is not jargon! Jargon is the language of a profession or a hobby.

• Slang is not "bad grammar." When we talk about slang, we are talking about words and phrases, not sentence structure. This means that non-Standard varieties of English, Appalachian English or African American Vernacular English (AAVE) are not slang - but like all other varieties of English, speakers of these dialects use slang when socially appropriate.

Click Here to Return to Top of Page