社会语言学论文 8页

从社会语言学角度分析美国俚语——・Definitionsofslangs二・CharacteristicsofAmericanslangs三.Socialanalysisofslangsfromtheperspectiveofgender,age,occupationandsocialsettingstouseslang四・Socialfunctionsofslang五•Socialreasonsfortheuseofslang1.IntroductionTostudyslangscientifically,wecantaketheanthropologicaltraditionofculturalrelativism."AccordingtoBryjakandSoroka(1994:57),'culturalrelativismisthebeliefthatthereisnouniversalstandardofgoodandbadorrightandwrongandthatanaspectofanygivenculturecanbejudgedonlywithinitsowncontext.5CulturalrelativistsappeartosuggestthatallculturesorinstitutionsareequallyvalidorfittingandtendtoassumethatthemerepresenceofaculturaltraitwarrantsourvaluingifXLinDajing,1997).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\n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.Definitionofslang1.1definitionsDuringthehistoryoflanguagedevelopment,people'sattitudestowardslanghavechangedalot:.In1828Websterdefineditas“low,vulgar,unmeaninglanguage.^Slangisveryinformallanguagethatincludesnewandsomethingnotpolitewordsandmeaningsandisoftenusedamongparticulargroupsofpeople,andisusuallynotusedinseriousspeechorwring(LongmandictionaryofEnglishLanguageandCulture2004).OxfordAdvancedLearner9sEnglish-ChineseDictionarydefinesslangas"veryinformalwords,phrases,etccommonlyusedinspeech,espbetweenpeoplefromthesamesocialgrouporwhoworktogether,notconsideredsuitableforformalcontextsandoftennotinuseforlong."Fromthesethreedefinitions,wecanseethatinthepastslangsufferedabusefrompeopleandnowadaysthisdiscriminationhasdisappearedandisregardedasinformalandhighlycolloquiallanguage.\nSlangisacknowledgedtobeoneofthemostactiveandsensitivepartsoflanguageandaneffectiveweaponincommunication.However,theattitudestowardslangareverycontradictoryamongcommonpeopleandespeciallyscholars.Thiscanbedetectedfromtheabovethreedefinitionsofslang,(qtd.inPartridge1954:7,3)canalsoreflectsthecontradictionofpeople'sopinions:“Thelanguageofslangistheconversationoffools.Menofdiscretionwillnotpervertlanguagetotheunprofitablepurposesofconversationalmimicry...Thefriendsofliteraturewillneveradoptit,asitisactivelyopposedtopureandgrammaticaldiction"and“itisimpossibletoacquireathoroughknowledgeofEnglishforofanyotherlanguage,forthatmatter]withoutbeingfamiliarwithslangandvulgarism.Whoeverisuninitiated...willbeatalosstounderstandmanyofthemasterpiecesofEnglishliterature.Nay.・.hewillscarcelybeableeventounderstandanEnglishnewspape匚‘，Theseremarksremarkssumuptheparadoxofslangverywell:"SlangisthefoeandthefriendoftheEnglishlanguage^Cqtd.inPartridge1954:21).sociallinguisticapproachtoslangaswehavementioned,slangaimportantcomponentoflanguage,andaslanguage,it,initself,cannotbeevaluatedasrightorwrong.Itisjustasocialphenomenonreflectedinlanguage,soweshouldtakeanobjectiveattitudetoanalyzeit.Thispaperwilldoitfromtheperspectiveof\nsociolinguistics,becausesociolinguisticsisthatpartoflinguisticswhichisconcernedwithlanguageasasocialandculturalphenomenon^CTrudgill:1983).Therefore,thestudyoflanguagecannotbeseparatedfromsocietyandculture.CharacteristicsofslangAmericanslang,astheproductofAmericansociety,hasitsdistinctivecharacteristics・Accordingto硕士论文，therearefourdistinctfeatureswhichisrootedinAmericansociety,thatisitsbrevity,novelty,instabilityandpluralsynonym.BrevityJustasFlexner(1975)remarks,brevitymaynotbethesoulofAmericanslang,butitisperhapsthechieffeature・TheAmericanDictionaryofSlangalsodemonstratesthatslangseemstoprefershortwords.Thisisusuallyattainedbythesubstitutionofsimplesyllablestoexpressthemeaningofalongerwordorexpression.Simp(stupidperson),veep(vicepresident)andclassy(fashionable)arebriefandeasytospeakout.What'smore,someslangscanbrieflyexpressthemeaningwhichcannotbedonebyonestandardusagesuchasdoodle(scribbleabsent-mindedly)andfrisk(makeabodysearch―speciallyreferstopattingortouchingsomeone'spocketsorplaceswheresomethingcanbehiddenandcarriedabout).NoveltySlangwordsareofteninventedbypeopleforthepleasureofnoveltyand\nimitatedbyotherswholiketobeinfashion.Forexample,theyusethink-machineforbrain,sparklerfordiamondandflyingcoffinforplane.InstabilityInstabilityisanotherdistinctfeatureofslangs.Unlikeotherkindsoflanguage,slangwordsusuallydonotremainformanyyears,thoughsomeslangschangeintostandardlanguageaftersometime.Gay,forinstance,starteditslifeinthesense“homosexual"inthe1930s,andnowadaysisbroadlyacceptedasstandardterminology.richsynonymsAmericanslangischaracteristicofawealthofsynonyms,whichhasacloseconnectionwiththepursuitofnovelty.Takemoneyforexample,therearesuchexpressionsformoneyasbrass,lolly,tin,dough,mazuma,moolahandbread.1.Socialanalysisofslangsfromtheperspectiveofgender,age,occupationandsocialsettingstouseslangSlangsarenotonlydifferentfromotherkindsoflanguagesinitscharacteristicsbutalsohasspecificfeaturesintheslangsers.Thispartwillexplainthisfromtheperspectivesoftheusers9age,genderandoccupation.1.1genderMostAmericanslangiscreatedandusedbymales.DeKlerk(1990,1992)alsofoundthatthegenderdifferenceinuseandtoleranceofslangwaslevelingoutincontemporarysocietyandthatthestereotypeofmakes\nbeingtheprimaryslanguserswasopentoquestion(qtd.InThomas.C.Cooper.2001).Manytypesofslangwords一-includingthetabooandstronglyderogatoryones,thosereferringtowomen,work,money,whiskey,politics,transportation,sportsandthelike—referprimarilytomaleendeavorandinterest.Themajorityofentriesinallslangdictionariescouldbelabeled"primarilymasculineuse"(Flexner,1960:xxiv).1.1AgeAgealsoinfluencestheuseofslangs.Americanyouths,especiallytheteenagersandcollegestudents,arethemainconsumersandmakersofAmericanslangs.Theyarenotafraidofmakingmistakes,andfullofcuriosity.Theyarealwaysreadytochallengetraditionalconventionsandcustoms.Therefore,manyfashionableslangsarecreatedandwidespreadbytheseyoungpeople.1.2OccupationSlangsalsohavesomethingtodowithone'soccupation.Generallyspeaking,thehighereducationrequiredfortheoccupation,thelowertolerancewillbeforslang.2.socialreasonsofslangNiceforoprovidedthefollowingfifteenreasonsforusingslang.Slang,hebelieves,isemployedbecauseofoneormoreofthesereasons.(qtd.inPartridge1954:6-7):Insheerhighspirits,bytheyounginheartaswellasbytheyoungin\nyears;“justforthefunofthething";inplayfulnessorwaggishness・Asanexerciseeitherinwitandingenuityorinhumor.(Themotivebehindthisisusuallyself-displayorsnobbishness,emulationorresponsiveness,delightinvirtuosity.)Tobe"different"tobenovel.Tobepicturesque(eitherpositivelyor—asinthewishtoavoidinsipidity—negatively).Tobeunmistakablyarresting,evenstartling.Toescapefromcliches,ortobebriefandconcise.(Actuatedbyimpatiencewithexistingterms.)Toenrichthelanguage・(Thisdeliberatenessisraresaveamongthewell-educated,Cockneysformingthemostnotableexception;itisliteraryratherthanspontaneous.)Tolendanairofsolidity,concreteness,totheabstract;ofearthinesstotheidealistic;ofimmediacyandappositenesstotheremote.Tolessenthestingof,orontheotherhandtogiveadditionalpointto,arefusal,arejection,arecantation.Toreduce,perhapsalsotodisperse,thesolemnity,thepomposity,theexcessiveseriousnessofaconversation.Tosoftenthetragedy,tolightenorto“prettify"theinevitabilityofdeathormadness,ortomasktheuglinessorthepityofprofoundturpitude(e.g.,treachery,ingratitude);and/orthustoenablethespeakerorhisauditororbothtoendure,to"carryon".\nTospeakorwritedowntoaninferior,ortoamuseasuperiorpublic;ormerelytobeonacolloquiallevelwitheitherone'saudienceorone'ssubjectmatter.Foreaseofsocialintercourse.Toinduceeitherfriendlinessorintimacyofadeeporadurablekind・Toshowthatonebelongstoacertainschool,trade,orprofession,artisticorintellectualset,orsocialclass;inbrief,tobe“intheswim"ortoestablishcontact.Hence,toshoworprovethatsomeoneisnot“intheswim,Tobesecret-notunderstoodbythosearoundone.Ofcourse,listsoffunctionsofslangcannotbeexhausted.Thereareotheraspectsarrestingandoutlandishaboutslang.Butitdoesnotmeanthatuserscanapplyittoanypersononanyoccasion.Slangislikecasualdress,whichisonlysuitabletocertainoccasions・1.socialfunctionsofslangsMainsocialfunctionsofslangscanbesummarizedasfollowed:5.1forprestigeandsuperiorityFromthepointofviewoftheslangusers,theslangwordsarenotlowandvulgarbutbringthemkindofprestige.Therefore,tosomeextent,whatkindofslangsareusedbecomeskindofreflectionoftheuser'sculturalvalues.Indailylife,people