Mattiello
(2008) proposes that there are five types of slang characteristic, these
are:
1.
Fresh
Fresh is a
distinctive and general characteristic
of slang. Slang is often
described as a fresh vital vocabulary that keeps the language alive and
growing.
Since
teenagers and young people in general, tend to be up-to-date and innovative in
their speech. Teenagers invent new words and modify the form or meaning of the
existing ones. The young are indeed creative and continually in search of novel
expressions which show that they are fashionable. (e.g in
a mo for “in a moment”, indeedee
for “indeed”, for yonks for “a long
time”)
2.
Obscenity
Slang with this characteristic uses taboo subjects of a culture. Slang
is rich in dirty words and
obscenities which are related to sex, especially male and female genitalia (e.g
cock, dick, cunt, pussy), sexual intercourse (e.g fuck, screw), sexual stimulation (e.g. wank), and oral sex (e.g
suck). Other obscenities are related
to either excretion (e.g crap, shit).
3.
Offensiveness
Offensiveness in slang is as
derogatory words characterizing certain group of people with negative stereotypes.
For example, slang words refer to male or female homosexuality (e.g. fag, lesbo,
lezzy) and female promiscuity (e.g slut, slag, tart, cunt).
4.
Faddishness
Slang with faddishness characteristic consists of an eccentric, strange vocabulary, mainly characterized by bizarre metaphors stated by Allen, 1998 cited in
Mattiello (2008). The examples below were taken from book “Introduction to English Slang” by
Mattiello (2008):
-
Bird
and chick for “a
girl; young woman”
-
Fairy
and pansy bizarrely refer to “a male homosexual”.
Mattiello also added that
faddishness characterizes irony (e.g. bitching,
killer) for having positive senses of
“excellent”.
5.
Musicality
Slang with this characteristic has typical tendency of slang to play with sounds or may display
onomatopoeia. Musicality may be obtained by way of reduplicative formation or
rhyming phrases. The examples below were taken from book “Introduction to English Slang” by
Mattiello (2008):
-
Hotsy-totsy
means “comfortable, satisfactory”
-
Gang-bang means
“sexual orgy”
-
Humping and
pumping means “having sexual intercourse”
-
Shitty brickitty
from shit a brick for expressing
surprise or amazement.
An additional source of musicality is onomatopoeia, as in the word blabbermouth indicating ‘one who blabs;
tell-tale’ that evokes the sound one produce when ‘blabbing’.
