从社会语言学角度分析美国俚语 社会语言学论文 9页

从社会语言学角度分析美国俚语一．Definitionsofslangs二．CharacteristicsofAmericanslangs三．Socialanalysisofslangsfromtheperspectiveofgender,age,occupationandsocialsettingstouseslang四．Socialfunctionsofslang五．Socialreasonsfortheuseofslang1.IntroductionTostudyslangscientifically,wecantaketheanthropologicaltraditionofculturalrelativism.“AccordingtoBryjakandSoroka(1994:57),‘culturalrelativismisthebeliefthatthereisnouniversalstandardofgoodandbadorrightandwrongandthatanaspectofanygivenculturecanbejudgedonlywithinitsowncontext.’Culturalrelativistsappeartosuggestthatallculturesorinstitutionsareequallyvalidorfittingandtendtoassumethatthemerepresenceofaculturaltraitwarrantsourvaluingit”(LinDajing,1997).\n俚语作为语言的一种，引起特殊性发挥着自己独特的作用，然而很多人并未对俚语有正确的认识，很多人把俚语作为地俗语对待，笔者认为，语言作为一种社会现象，尤其存在的合理性，从社会语言学的角度讲，任何语言种类都是平等的，没有层级之分。本文将从社会语言学的角度对俚语这一语言特殊现象做一粗浅分析，希望能是大家改变对俚语的歧视态度。俚语常被定义为粗俗的语言，这种语言有其特定的使用群体，虽然使用者大多为知识水平不高的人群，但不能因此就对此语言有贬低，正是基于此观点，本文进行了如下分析。1.Definitionofslang2.1definitionsDuringthehistoryoflanguagedevelopment,people’sattitudestowardslanghavechangedalot.In1828Websterdefineditas“low,vulgar,unmeaninglanguage.”Slangisveryinformallanguagethatincludesnewandsomethingnotpolitewordsandmeaningsandisoftenusedamongparticulargroupsofpeople,andisusuallynotusedinseriousspeechorwring(LongmandictionaryofEnglishLanguageandCulture2004).OxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionarydefinesslangas“veryinformalwords,phrases,etccommonlyusedinspeech,espbetweenpeoplefromthesamesocialgrouporwhoworktogether,notconsideredsuitableforformalcontextsandoftennotinuseforlong.”Fromthesethreedefinitions,wecanseethatinthepastslangsufferedabusefrompeopleandnowadaysthisdiscriminationhasdisappearedandisregardedasinformalandhighlycolloquiallanguage.1.2attitudesSlangisacknowledgedtobeoneofthemostactiveandsensitivepartsof\nlanguageandaneffectiveweaponincommunication.However,theattitudestowardslangareverycontradictoryamongcommonpeopleandespeciallyscholars.Thiscanbedetectedfromtheabovethreedefinitionsofslang.(qtd.inPartridge1954:7,3)canalsoreflectsthecontradictionofpeople’sopinions:“Thelanguageofslangistheconversationoffools.Menofdiscretionwillnotpervertlanguagetotheunprofitablepurposesofconversationalmimicry…Thefriendsofliteraturewillneveradoptit,asitisactivelyopposedtopureandgrammaticaldiction”and“itisimpossibletoacquireathoroughknowledgeofEnglish[orofanyotherlanguage,forthatmatter]withoutbeingfamiliarwithslangandvulgarism.Whoeverisuninitiated…willbeatalosstounderstandmanyofthemasterpiecesofEnglishliterature.Nay…hewillscarcelybeableeventounderstandanEnglishnewspaper.”Theseremarksremarkssumuptheparadoxofslangverywell:“SlangisthefoeandthefriendoftheEnglishlanguage”(qtd.inPartridge1954:21).1.2sociallinguisticapproachtoslangaswehavementioned,slangaimportantcomponentoflanguage,andaslanguage,it,initself,cannotbeevaluatedasrightorwrong.Itisjustasocialphenomenonreflectedinlanguage,soweshouldtakeanobjectiveattitudetoanalyzeit.Thispaperwilldoitfromtheperspectiveofsociolinguistics,becausesociolinguisticsisthatpartoflinguisticswhich\nisconcernedwithlanguageasasocialandculturalphenomenon”(Trudgill:1983).Therefore,thestudyoflanguagecannotbeseparatedfromsocietyandculture.1.2CharacteristicsofslangAmericanslang,astheproductofAmericansociety,hasitsdistinctivecharacteristics.Accordingto硕士论文，therearefourdistinctfeatureswhichisrootedinAmericansociety,thatisitsbrevity,novelty,instabilityandpluralsynonym.1.2.1BrevityJustasFlexner(1975)remarks，brevitymaynotbethesoulofAmericanslang,butitisperhapsthechieffeature.TheAmericanDictionaryofSlangalsodemonstratesthatslangseemstoprefershortwords.Thisisusuallyattainedbythesubstitutionofsimplesyllablestoexpressthemeaningofalongerwordorexpression.Simp(stupidperson),veep(vicepresident)andclassy(fashionable)arebriefandeasytospeakout.What’smore,someslangscanbrieflyexpressthemeaningwhichcannotbedonebyonestandardusagesuchasdoodle(scribbleabsent-mindedly)andfrisk(makeabodysearch—especiallyreferstopattingortouchingsomeone’spocketsorplaceswheresomethingcanbehiddenandcarriedabout).2.4.2NoveltySlangwordsareofteninventedbypeopleforthepleasureofnoveltyand\nimitatedbyotherswholiketobeinfashion.Forexample,theyusethink-machineforbrain,sparklerfordiamondandflyingcoffinforplane.2.4.3InstabilityInstabilityisanotherdistinctfeatureofslangs.Unlikeotherkindsoflanguage,slangwordsusuallydonotremainformanyyears,thoughsomeslangschangeintostandardlanguageaftersometime.Gay,forinstance,starteditslifeinthesense“homosexual”inthe1930s,andnowadaysisbroadlyacceptedasstandardterminology.2.4.4richsynonymsAmericanslangischaracteristicofawealthofsynonyms,whichhasacloseconnectionwiththepursuitofnovelty.Takemoneyforexample,therearesuchexpressionsformoneyasbrass,lolly,tin,dough,mazuma,moolahandbread.1.Socialanalysisofslangsfromtheperspectiveofgender,age,occupationandsocialsettingstouseslangSlangsarenotonlydifferentfromotherkindsoflanguagesinitscharacteristicsbutalsohasspecificfeaturesintheslang-users.Thispartwillexplainthisfromtheperspectivesoftheusers’age,genderandoccupation.3.1genderMostAmericanslangiscreatedandusedbymales.DeKlerk(1990,1992)alsofoundthatthegenderdifferenceinuseandtoleranceofslangwas\nlevelingoutincontemporarysocietyandthatthestereotypeofmakesbeingtheprimaryslanguserswasopentoquestion(qtd.InThomas.C.Cooper.2001).Manytypesofslangwords---includingthetabooandstronglyderogatoryones,thosereferringtowomen,work,money,whiskey,politics,transportation,sportsandthelike---referprimarilytomaleendeavorandinterest.Themajorityofentriesinallslangdictionariescouldbelabeled“primarilymasculineuse”(Flexner,1960:xxiv).3.2AgeAgealsoinfluencestheuseofslangs.Americanyouths,especiallytheteenagersandcollegestudents,arethemainconsumersandmakersofAmericanslangs.Theyarenotafraidofmakingmistakes,andfullofcuriosity.Theyarealwaysreadytochallengetraditionalconventionsandcustoms.Therefore,manyfashionableslangsarecreatedandwidespreadbytheseyoungpeople.3.3OccupationSlangsalsohavesomethingtodowithone’soccupation.Generallyspeaking,thehighereducationrequiredfortheoccupation,thelowertolerancewillbeforslang.1.socialreasonsofslangNiceforoprovidedthefollowingfifteenreasonsforusingslang.Slang,hebelieves,isemployedbecauseofoneormoreofthesereasons.(qtd.in\nPartridge1954:6-7):(1)Insheerhighspirits,bytheyounginheartaswellasbytheyounginyears;“justforthefunofthething”;inplayfulnessorwaggishness.(2)Asanexerciseeitherinwitandingenuityorinhumor.(Themotivebehindthisisusuallyself-displayorsnobbishness,emulationorresponsiveness,delightinvirtuosity.)(3)Tobe“different”tobenovel.(4)Tobepicturesque(eitherpositivelyor--asinthewishtoavoidinsipidity--negatively).(5)Tobeunmistakablyarresting,evenstartling.(6)Toescapefromcliches,ortobebriefandconcise.(Actuatedbyimpatiencewithexistingterms.)(7)Toenrichthelanguage.(Thisdeliberatenessisraresaveamongthewell-educated,Cockneysformingthemostnotableexception;itisliteraryratherthanspontaneous.)(8)Tolendanairofsolidity,concreteness,totheabstract;ofearthinesstotheidealistic;ofimmediacyandappositenesstotheremote.(9)Tolessenthestingof,orontheotherhandtogiveadditionalpointto,arefusal,arejection,arecantation.Toreduce,perhapsalsotodisperse,thesolemnity,thepomposity,theexcessiveseriousnessofaconversation.Tosoftenthe\ntragedy,tolightenorto“prettify”theinevitabilityofdeathormadness,ortomasktheuglinessorthepityofprofoundturpitude(e.g.,treachery,ingratitude);and/orthustoenablethespeakerorhisauditororbothtoendure,to“carryon”.(10)Tospeakorwritedowntoaninferior,ortoamuseasuperiorpublic;ormerelytobeonacolloquiallevelwitheitherone’saudienceorone’ssubjectmatter.(11)Foreaseofsocialintercourse.(12)Toinduceeitherfriendlinessorintimacyofadeeporadurablekind.(13)Toshowthatonebelongstoacertainschool,trade,orprofession,artisticorintellectualset,orsocialclass;inbrief,tobe“intheswim”ortoestablishcontact.(14)Hence,toshoworprovethatsomeoneisnot“intheswim”.(15)Tobesecret-notunderstoodbythosearoundone.Ofcourse,listsoffunctionsofslangcannotbeexhausted.Thereareotheraspectsarrestingandoutlandishaboutslang.Butitdoesnotmeanthatuserscanapplyittoanypersononanyoccasion.Slangislikecasualdress,whichisonlysuitabletocertainoccasions.1.socialfunctionsofslangsMainsocialfunctionsofslangscanbesummarizedasfollowed:5.1forprestigeandsuperiority\nFromthepointofviewoftheslangusers,theslangwordsarenotlowandvulgarbutbringthemkindofprestige.Therefore,tosomeextent,whatkindofslangsareusedbecomeskindofreflectionoftheuser’sculturalvalues.Indailylife,people