slang英语俚语集锦文化课件.ppt

Snail mail,Letters sent through the post office; mail that is carried, as opposed to e-mail.Example:1) It can take a week to send a letter by snail mail.2) I sent the payment by snail mail so you should get it by next Friday.Etymology:A snail is a very slow-moving creature. This slang phrase mocks the slowness of regular mail and implicitly compares it to the speed of e-mail.,What is “Informal English?”,No living language is simply one set of words which can be used the same way in all situations. This means is that there are many ways to say the same thing, depending on where you are, who you are talking to, and how you feel. You are all advanced enough in your study of English to realize that you do not talk to a roommate the same way you would talk to your roommates mother. You do not talk to a bartender the same way you would talk to a judge. You do not refuse a panhandler with the same words you would use to refuse a second helping of mashed potatoes at a formal dinner.,What are “Informal Situations?”,When and where is Informal English appropriate? The are many situations in everyday life where informal English is allowed, even preferred. Some examples include: While playing sports While studying with friends At a bar or informal restaurant At a party or reunion While watching a sporting event With close family members With friends while shopping, studying or hanging out At work (depending on your job) On a date At the movies,What is “Slang?”,Slang is a subset of a language used by one particular group. It consists of words and expressions which will not be found in the dictionary, and can be distortions of existing words or entirely invented terms. It is used in informal situations. It is not appropriate in formal situations.Examples: pooped, to down a drink, threads, bonkers, basket case, etc. Slang words may or may not have alternative literal meanings. They may be made up words.,Do you know any slang?,What is an idiom?,IDIOM - A phrase that is commonly understood in a given culture or subculture to have a meaning different from its literal meaning. A good example of this is to bend over backwards. This phrase is commonly understood in our culture to mean to exert an enormous effort in order to accomplish something. The literal meaning, however, is the physical act it describes, of which few may actually be capable of doing!,Is Slang Only Used By The Lower Classes?,Absolutely not! There is universal slang that is used by everyone. However, there are many subcategories of slang used by specific groups. Slang can be seen as a family tree with universal slang at the top representing words that are not only used consistently in the media, but by virtually everyone. This huge category of terms and expressions spans all ages, social groups and economic groups with such common words and expressions as: to be ticked off to pig out to stand someone up to get ones second wind to be wiped out to get canned,Abbreviations & Acronyms,There are commonly used initials which represent complete sentences, another important category to be conquered by the nonnative speaker. Although they sound completely normal to native speakers, to the outsiders, they are nothing but a meaningless string of letters.Imagine how a secretary, whose first language is not English, would respond upon being given the following information: FYI, the CEO wants you to pick up a BLT and an OJ for the VP ASAP. OK? Abbreviations and acronyms are a large part of our daily language, many of which are used commonly yet whose literal meaning is unknown even by native speakers; for example, LASER (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), and TIP (to insure promptness).,Specific Groups & Slang,Just below universal slang on the family tree are subcategories used by specific groups such as teens, rappers, surfers, different trades, economic groups, and racial groups; there is even regional slang. Many of these subcategories contain their own very colorful expressions. For example: TEENS: Our home-ec (home economics) teacher is really phat (beautiful) and her class is the bomb (great)!RAPPERS: Hey, homie (friend)! Why you wallin (being a wall flower) instead a bustin a move (dancing) to that def jam (great music)?SURFERS: The big mamas (ocean) fully mackin (pumping out) some gnarly grinders (huge waves) with corduroy to the horizon (one after the other).DINER WAITERS/WAITRESSES (from the 1950s): Gimme a cold pig on a green sea (ham sandwich with lettuce), burn 50 (on toast) and put shoes on em; theyre going for a walk (to go)!DOCTORS: We need to gork (anesthetize) the patient before calling in the blade (surgeon).SOME SOUTHERNERS: Im more scared than a long-tailed cat in a room full a rockin chairs or Im more scared than a porcupine in a balloon factory.,Around the World,Slang and idioms are used throughout the world, and many of our own common expressions have equivalents in other languages in other places. For example:AMERICAN: Youll pulling my leg!FRENCH: Tu te paies ma tete! (literally: Youre treating yourself to my head!)SPANISH: !Me estas tomando el pelo! (literally: Youre taking my hair!)GERMAN: Du willst mich wohl auf den Arm nehmen! (literally: You want to take me up the arm!),American Slang,The USA is a huge country, so there is not a lot of American slang that is used across the country. You are more likely to see regional slang or ethnic slang. Some terms that would be recognized by any American would include Dude, Pal, Buddy - man or friend Cash - paper money Bread, Dough - any money Cool, Hot, Hip - very popular, something or someone that others want to emulate Spud - potato Cop - police officer Bathroom, Restroom, john, can - toilet Chicken - afraid Mad - angry Dirty - obscene Nuts, A Nut- crazy, eccentric Pissed - urinated,African-American Slang,The African-American subculture has spawned many slang terms that are recognized in most parts of the country. These include Yo - greeting, hello, attention-getting word Homie, brotha - friend, comrade Sup - whats up, whats going on Hood - neighborhood Tight - close, good friends Dawg - man, friend Word - true Dis - to disrespect, to insult Gangsta - gangster or gangster-imitator,What is Jargon?,A special language belonging exclusively to a group, often a profession. Engineers, lawyers, doctors, tax analysts, and the like all use jargon to exchange complex information efficiently. Jargon is often unintelligible to those outside the group that uses it. For example, here is a passage from a computer manual with the jargon underlined: “The RZ887-x current loop interface allows the computer to use a centronics blocked duplex protocol.”,Is It Okay To Use Slang In Business?,Business is notorious for creating a slang or jargon of its own. Clearly, a nonnative speaker who doesnt have a working knowledge of business jargon would be at a loss. Imagine someone not familiar with idioms being told during a meeting that he or she has the floor or being asked to take the ball and run with it.The following paragraph would surely go over the head of the average nonnative speaker, yet the terms and expressions are certainly common in the business world (and this is just the tip of the iceberg): I dont know who blew the whistle on Bernie, the paper pusher in accounting, but he just got called on the carpet by the big wigs for calling in sick again. If he doesnt pull it together soon, hes gonna get canned, and cush jobs like his dont grow on trees!,Sport Jargon,Sports jargon is particularly widespread in business since sports permeate American culture. This may also be related to the fact that both sports and business in the past have been predominantly influenced by men. To my knowledge, nothing has shaped the language of business more than sports, and not just one sport:BASEBALL: to field a phone call, to be home free, to come out of left field, to be in the ball park, to be out of someones league, to pitch ideas, thats one strike against him/her.BOATING: to be on an even keel, each man for himself, to go down with the ship, to like the cut of someones jib, to shape up or ship out, to be smooth sailing, to take the wind out of ones sails.BOXING: to go a few rounds with someone, to be a heavyweight, to be a lightweight, to hit below the belt.FOOTBALL: game plan, to run interference for someone, to take the ball and run with it, to tackle a problem.HORSE RACING: to be down to the wire, to be first out of the gate, to be in the homestretch, to jockey for position, to be left at the gate, to be neck and neck, to be right out of the chute, to win by a nose.SWIMMING: to dive right in, to get ones feet wet, to go in headfirst, to sink or swim, to jump off the deep end, to test the water.TRACK and FIELD: to come in a close second, to clear a hurdle, to have the inside track, to jump the gun, to keep pace with someone or something, to pace oneself, to set the pace.,College Students Slang,Below is a sample of slang used by college students on the campus of the University of North Carolina.Whats up?PhatMy badTrip/trippin/ trip outChillDa bombWackLikeFlossStokedCoolGrub,TightPlayaPlayer haterAightWhat the dealBout it bout itChickMackWhateverYoFor real thoughKick itshorty,Slang,big deal: important event; may be usedsarcastically to refer to something thatis not importantchill out or cool it: a command to stop what you aredoing, relaxblow it off: to ignore or avoid someone or somethingcram: To study frantically the night before a testbum a cigarette: to borrow a cigarettebummed out: depressed,Slang,fed up or sick of disgusted with; tired offreak out to lose control of oneselfin a nutshell very briefly and conciselymooch to borrow frequently and/or take things fromothers, usually without the intention ofout of it tired and not concentratingslob 1) a lazy, fat person2) a person who is not dressed neatly3) an untidy person,Airhead,airhead: stupid person. Believe it or not, Dave can sometimes act like an airhead!,Balls,ball (1): a fun time. I really had a ball at the party! ball offensive (2): a testicle. After getting kicked in the balls, his voice seemed much higher.,Barf,barf (1): vomit. My dog barfed all over the carpet. barf (2): vomit. Dont step on the barf!,Bazillion,bazillion: an infinite number of something. Has Dennis really taught a bazillion students?,B-ball,B-ball: basketball. Do you wanna play b-ball with me?,Beans,beans: money. Ive worked for this company for ten years, but I still dont have beans.,Beat,beat: tired. Im really beat because I was awake all night.,Beemer,beemer: a BMW. He wants to buy a beemer when he makes more money.,Bod,bod: body. Stalone has a great bod!,Bonkers,bonkers; go bonkers: crazy. If Dave works too hard, he sometimes goes slightly bonkers!,Booboo,booboo: a mistake. I made a booboo on the last question of the exam.,Boob tube,boob tube: television. Benjamin is always in front of the boob tube.,Booze,booze: alcohol. The Halloween party was fun, even though there wasnt any booze.,Bread,bread: money. Can I borrow some bread?,Brew,brew (1): coffee. Every morning Dave needs a fresh cup of brew. brew (2): beer. Do you want another brew, dude?,buns,buns possibly offensive: the rear end; buttocks. Dont stare at my buns!,Bushed,bushed: extremely tired. Im completely bushed.,Catch some rays,catch some rays: get some sunshine. Lets go to the beach and catch some rays.,Cheesy,cheesy: cheap; outmoded. Why are you wearing such cheesy clothes?,Chicken,chicken: coward. Dont be such a chicken!,Couch potato,couch potato: a person who watches too much television. Why did I have to marry such a couch potato?,Crap,crap offensive (1): something worthless. My furniture is a bunch of cheap crap. crap offensive (2): excrement. Yuck! I stepped on dog crap! crap offensive (3): falsehoods and lies. Ive had enough of your crap.,Deck,deck: to hit someone. His wife almost decked him when he returned home with lipstick on his shirt.,Dicey,dicey: unpredictable; risky. Gambling is a dicey occupation.,Dinero,dinero: money (from Spanish). I wish I had more dinero!,Dirt,dirt: extremely bad person. My ex-boyfriend was dirt.,Dorky,dorky: strange; peculiar. If you keep acting so dorky, youll never get a girlfriend!,El Cheapo,el cheapo: something cheap. Since I dont make much money, I always purchase the el cheapo brand.,To eyeball,eyeball: to stare long and hard at someone or something. Dave eyeballed his daughters new boyfriend.,Eyepopper,eyepopper: something or someone visibly astounding. Wow, that girl is truly an eyepopper!,Flaky,flaky: unpredictable. I waited four hours for my flaky friend to show up.,Flick,flick: movie. Lets go out tonight and watch a flick.,Freebie,freebie: something that does not cost money. My trip to New York was a freebie.,Geek,geek: someone who works too hard, is more intelligent than usual, and is slightly unattractive. Bill Gates is kind of a geek.,Get it,get it: to understand something. Sorry, but I just dont get it.,Go bananas,go bananas: go slightly mad. This project is causing me to go bananas!,Goof/Goof off/Goof up/Goofy,goof (1): a silly and foolish person. What a goof you are! goof (2): make a mistake. I really goofed on the test today. goof off (1): waste time. Stop goofing off and help me clean the house! goof-off (2): someone who wastes time and isnt serious. A goof-off never does well in school goof up: make a mistake. Oh no! I really goofed up! goofy: silly. Kids always make me feel goofy!,Grubby,grubby: not clean. I always feel grubby in the morning.,Guts,guts (1): courage. It took a lot of guts to ask his boss for a raise. guts (2): the nature of something. Lets get to the guts of Dave Sperling!,Hairy,hairy: difficult; dangerous. The steep and windy road was really hairy.,Head,head: toilet. I really need to use the head!,Humungous,humungous: really big. American supermarkets are humungous.,Icky,icky: unpleasant. The food is really icky in the school cafeteria.,In,in: fashionable. Ray-Ban sunglasses are really in now.,Jack around,jack around possibly offensive: waste time. Will you please stop jacking around?,Jam,jam, in a (1): trouble. If youre in a jam, I promise to help you. jam (2): improvise (musically). Id love to jam with Bon Jovi!,Jillion,jillion: an immense number. Do you really have a jillion problems?,Jock,jock: someone good at sports. Ive never been much of a jock.,John,john: toilet. Wheres the john?,Kick back,kick back: relax and enjoy. I wish I could kick back at the beach today.,Killer,killer: something exceptional or great. Wow, your boyfriend is killer!,Knock,knock: condemn. Dont knock it unless youve tried it.,knockout,knockout: beautiful woman; handsome man. Benjamin is already a knockout!,Make waves,make waves: cause problems. Teachers dont like students to make waves.,Mickey-mouse,mickey-mouse: unimportant; time-wasting. Im sick of this mickey-mouse job.,Nada,nada: nothing (from Spanish). I know nada a