Другое : Creators of slang
Creators of slang
Creators of slang
Civilized society
tends to divide into a dominant culture and various subcultures that flourish
within the dominant framework. The subcultures show specialized linguistic
phenomena, varying widely in form and content, that depend on the nature of the
groups and their relation to each other and to the dominant culture. The shock
value of slang stems largely from the verbal transfer of the values of a
subculture to diametrically opposed values in the dominant culture. Names such
as fuzz, pig, fink, bull, and dick for policemen were not created by officers
of the law. (The humorous "dickless tracy," however, meaning a
policewoman, was coined by male policemen.)
Occupational groups
are legion, and while in most respects they identify with the dominant culture,
there is just enough social and linguistic hostility to maintain group
solidarity. Terms such as scab, strike-breaker, company-man, and goon were
highly charged words in the era in which labour began to organize in the United
States; they are not used lightly even today, though they have been taken into
the standard language.
In addition to
occupational and professional groups, there are many other types of subcultures
that supply slang. These include sexual deviants, narcotic addicts, ghetto
groups, institutional populations, agricultural subsocieties, political
organizations, the armed forces, Gypsies, and sports groups of many varieties.
Some of the most fruitful sources of slang are the subcultures of professional
criminals who have migrated to the New World since the 16th century. Old-time
thieves still humorously refer to themselves as FFV--First Families of
Virginia.
In criminal
subcultures, pressure applied by the dominant culture intensifies the internal
forces already at work, and the argot forming there emphasizes the values,
attitudes, and techniques of the subculture. Criminal groups seem to evolve
about this specialized argot, and both the subculture and its slang expressions
proliferate in response to internal and external pressures.
Список литературы
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