THE ART OF COMPOSITON: SLANG AND DIALECTS

Hi! Professor Panda here again!

Today we are going to continue our discussion of the art of composition in both English and Japanese; and in particular, we will continue our discussion on the use of slang as well as talk about the use of dialects.

First, let us review the use of slang in compositions. The writer should remember that the making of appropriate word choices establishes a common ground with their readers.

Unless one is writing for a specialized audience and truly has good reason to believe that this particular audience would welcome slang and other forms of informal language or jargon, the following advice can hem them to achieve good usage:

SLANG IS EFFECTIVE IN ONLY A FEW RHETORICAL SITUATIONS.

RHETORIC

What does “rhetorical” mean? It simply means that something is used for, belongs to, or is concerned with the style or effect of speech or the written word.

To be a little more specific, rhetoric is the art of dialogue, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western tradition. Its best-known definition comes from Aristotle, who considered it a counterpart of both logic and politics, and called it “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.”

MORE ABOUT SLANG

Slang is usually defined as words used primarily by people in a particular age group, locality, or profession. Slang, in fact, covers a wide range of words that are considered to be casual, facetious, or even fashionable — any of which can either appeal to readers or (more often than not) alienate them. For example, using the word “shrink” for “psychiatrist” may convey disrespect for a field of medicine. Although such words are often used in private conversation, they are not appropriate for academic or professional writing.

A clear sense of your audience is essential if you want to use sang effectively. If a slang word or expression is new, your audience may not understand what you mean. If it has been around for a long time, your use of it can make you seem out of touch with popular culture.

Frequent use of such words as “whatever,” “awesome,” or “dude,” for example, can make you sound as if you are still living in the twentieth century. Use of these words can, and often do, mark the user as being rather stupid.

For a further example of the effective use of slang, let’s look at two paragraphs from Angel Dust, a contemporary police novel set in San Francisco in 1972:

Six hours earlier, Washington, also known as “Mandingo,” had walked out the front gate of San Quentin Prison in fashionable Marin County, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, after having spent the past three years under lockdown on a charge of armed robbery. Nevertheless, the State of California was generous and had granted him parole, just in time for Christmas, and two hundred dollars to get him going again. He knew that the two hundred wouldn’t really go very far, but Leroy was determined to make the best of it. First, a little food, then score a “lid” (ounce) of “pot” (marijuana), and then get himself a gun. That was a very good start, he decided; there would be time enough tomorrow to rob some careless tourist downtown and score some more money. Then he would move right on up.

Four hours later, he had eaten his fill of fresh fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and biscuits with butter; purchased a pint of cheap whiskey and drunk half of it; bought himself an inexpensive .38 special snub-nose revolver from one of his con- nections in the “hood” (neighborhood); and best of all, that “lid” of “pot,” all for himself. “Now,” he asked himself, “what would be good? Maybe a little porno to top of the evening would be so fine.” Quite satisfied with his decision, he sauntered east, down Eddy Street, toward the Tenderloin and the O’Farrell Theater. He was cool and he walked like he was cool, so that everyone would know he was cool; after all, he had done “hard (prison) time” and he was going to be even cooler real soon.

Note the use of the slang words “lid,” “pot,” “hood,” and “hard time.” The author is describing the thoughts and actions of a man who grew up and was educated in a black ghetto; therefore, the use of slang, commonplace to the character, is of benefit in accurately portraying his language and thoughts. However, without an explanation of the word (in parenthesis), the use of the words would tend to exclude any reader who is not familiar with those particular slang terms. As it is, by using the slang terms, and providing a parenthetic definition for them, the author has brought the reader into that particular world in which the character lives, making him and “insider,” and his use of the words and their definitions also serves to educate the reachder. Without the definitions, the reader is alienated and left out of a nuance of the story.

CONVERSATIONAL OR COLLOQUIAL WORDS ARE USUALLY TOO INFORMAL FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING.

Words that are labeled as colloquial in a dictionary are fine for casual conversation and can be used by writers when composing dialogue or a personal essay on a light topic. Such words may sometimes be used for special effect in academic writing, but you should usually replace them with more appropriate words. For example, conversational terms such as “dumb,” “belly button,” and “kid” can be replaced by “ignorant,” “navel,” and “tease.”

DIALECT (or “ben”)

Here is an important rule for writers about using a local ben or dialect, whether in English or Japanese:

DO NOT USE DIALECT EXCEPT TO GIVE THE FLAVOR OF LOCAL SPEECH. AVOID ILLITERACIES.

Words and usages that are peculiar or distinct to one section of a country, province, or city are dialects; for example, in Japan, there is the style of speech, most often casual speech, unique to Ōsaka, Ōsaka-ben or the Ōsaka dialect. There are similar ones for Kyōto, Nagoya, Tokyō, and there are overall dialects which encompass the Kansai region and the Kanto region.

In various regions, for example, a dragonfly is called a darning needle, a snake feeder, a snake doctor, and a mosquito hawk. In the same way, the speech and linguistic patterns of a particular social group, especially an ethnic minority, are often referred to as a dialect.

There is absolutely no reason to erase all characteristics of a dialog from written or spoken language. They are a cultural heritage and a continuing source of richness, flavor, and variety; but in general communication, it is wise to avoid expressions which are not widely understood or which reflect ignorance of standard usage.

For the same reason, ILLITERACIES, which are found in the language of people who are unable to read and write, should be avoided in speech and writing unless you are describing the actual speech pattern of a person or character in a story.

For example: She ain’t ready yet. Would you care to set awhile? This is a common speech pattern of the American South; however, one would not want to write a paper or story using this pattern: one would be marked as stupid or illiterate, and incapable of quality writing if they did.

Here are two examples of the use of both slang and dialect from Angel Dust:

That night, there was no live strip show, according to a sign on the front door. “Musta given da bitches da Christmas Eve off,” he thought. “No big deal! The price is cheaper dat way and I can stay all night if I wants.” On days like Christmas Eve, the theater instead ran non-stop pornographic “flicks” and the management didn’t really care how long a patron stayed: they had the guy’s money, “so what the hell.”

“What’s your friend’s name?” asked Kelly, stepping even closer to the man. Kelly was taller and much more powerfully built than the subject was, and O’Neil thought that perhaps he was using his height advantage to intimidate the guy or at least to discourage him from doing anything stupid.

“Bob, man! Yeah, his name’s Bob.”

“How long have you been waiting for Bob?” asked Kelly.

“Hey man, I just got here. Whatchu mean hasslin’ me? This is poolice harassment.”

“You just got here? All those cigarette butts say otherwise,” growled Kelly, pointing to the ground.

The man looked. “Dey ain’t mine.”

“They aren’t? I just bet you they are yours. You wanna bet me?”

“Hey, you harassin’ me man! What’s the fuckin’ charge?”

The use of slang here is for the distinct purpose of demonstrating the manner of speech that a specific character uses, which is itself characteristic of the neighborhood and period in which the story is set; thus, adding both color and accuracy to the incident described.

Well, that’s all for today. Next time we’ll talk a little bit more about dialect and some other things that you might want to use or avoid in your writing.

See ya then!

THE ART OF COMPOSITON: SLANG

Hi! Professor Panda here!

Today we are going to continue our discussion of the art of composition. Here is another basic rule of writing that applies to both English and Japanese:

USE SLANG ONLY WHEN NOTHING ELSE WILL SERVE WELL.

What is slang? Well, putting it as simply as I can, slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard within the speaker’s or writer’s language or dialect, but which are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often used as a synonym or rewording, and may use an informal vocabulary in order to identify with one’s peers.

Slang is a colorful, non-standard language which, when considered from not only a grammatical viewpoint but from a sociological viewpoint, is invented by special groups, which can include various subcultures such as racial groups (most often within an urban environment), cliques, neighborhood gangs, and even professions. For example, the seamen who sailed the tall ships of the 18^th and 19^th centuries had slang words for everything on and around their ships (including the weather), words which continually confused and vexed those who only spoke and understood the standard language of the time. This, however, is regarded by some linguists and grammarians as a matter of jargon rather than slang; jargon being the technical vocabulary of a particular profession, which implies that the user (or reader) is familiar with whatever is being referred to, or with a group of people who are familiar with that profession and use terms particular to that profession. When writing (or speaking) however, the use of jargon can become exclusionary, even snobbish, and potentially leave many readers unable to comprehend fully what is being said; thus, it should be used only sparingly and carefully.

As the poet Carl Sanburg described it, slang is “language that takes off its coat, spits on its hands, and gets to work.”

Colorful as it may be, slang has very real weaknesses for the writer. Its effectiveness really depends on its freshness and novelty. As such, this form of language and grammar has a vocabulary that changes or adds new variations almost constantly. Slang words rapidly go in and out of style; they “wear out” from overuse, and thus become outdated.

Teachers, university instructors, editors, and even employers object to the use of slang in everything from student papers to business communications on the basis that slang is too often an easy, popular rubber stamp which only approximates exact, precise, thought. Slang is regarded as a lazy way of avoiding the effort needed in order to find an exact and equally vivid standard word or phrase. If a person were to say, “He’s a jerk,” they would not be communicating very much. After all, what does this statement mean precisely, other than that he is in some vague and unspecified way unattractive or unpleasant?

Another problem with written slang is that it may turn out to be incompatible or inconsistent with the writer’s intent or even his subject, and it can even be regarded as funny: but at the writer’s expense. Slang expressions are particularly open to criticism when they are placed, innocently enough, into a moderately formal context, as shown in the following sentences:

·         The violin virtuoso’s performance on the cello was a real bomb.

·         When Macbeth recoiled at the thought of murder, Lady Macbeth urged him not to chicken out.

Slang and its use in writing (or speech) may also, rightly or wrongly, be regarded as a reflection of the writer himself, as lazy, poorly educated, sloppy, or unsophisticated.

That is not to say that slang is all bad. Slang words, particularly when they are quite vivid, often become part of the vocabulary of Standard English. “Skyscraper,” “bus,” and “mob” (a shortening of the Latin words mobile vulgus) were once themselves slang; and if you think about it, what other word can convey the same meaning as the word “date”?

A good rule of thumb is to use slang sparingly, cautiously and thoughtfully, and only in the proper context.

Lastly, when writing, particularly in the case of creative writing or fiction, the use of slang may prove quite useful in adding a sense of authenticity in describing a character’s manner of speech or thought, ultimately leading us to the topic of dialect, which we will approach next time.

See you then!