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The Notion of Slang in Linguistics.

Slang is a world of mask and mirror.
Irving Lewis Allen


Slang is language which takes off its coat, spits on its hands,
and goes to work.

Carl Sandburg.

1.1. Controversial Points of Slang Definition and Different Approaches Toward It.

Much has been said and written about slang. This is probably due to the uncertainty of the concept itself. No one has yet given a more or less satisfactory definition of the term. Nor has it been specified by any linguist who deals with the problem of the English vocabulary. The fact is that no other European language has singled out a special layer of vocabulary and named it slang, though all of them distinguish such groups of words as jargon, cant, and the like. The distinctions between slang and other groups of unconventional English, though perhaps subtle and sometimes difficult to grasp, should nevertheless be subjected to a more detailed linguistic specification. ( Read more... )