Remarks on Modern American Slang广东外语外贸大学 公开学院本科毕业论文( 2013 届 )论文题目 Remarks on Modern American Slang （英文） 论文题目 浅谈美国现代俚语 （中文） 专 业 英语教育 班 级 2013级本科 准考证号 011114300840 考 生 刘利玉 指导教师 张艳 交稿时间 论文成绩 Remarks on Modern American SlangLiu LiyuAbstract: Expressions that can be called slang make up a major part of American communication in movies, television, radio, newspapers, magazines and informal spoken conversation. This paper looks at the characteristics and the formations of modern American slang. Also, an attempt is made to further discuss the rhetorical features of American slang. In order to have a better communication with American people and a better understanding of the communication, the study of slang is necessary.Key words: American slang; characteristics and formations; rhetorical features浅谈美国现代俚语刘利玉摘要:俚语在美国的电影、电视剧、无线电广播、报纸、杂志以及在非正式口语交谈中都占据了美国交流的大部分。这篇文章尝试着回答美国现代俚语有哪些特征以及它是如何形成的。除此之外，还将会对英语俚语中涉及的各类修辞格进行深入的讨论。通过加深对美国俚语的认识，加强与外籍朋友的交际能力。关键词：美国俚语；特点和形成；修辞iiContents1Introduction42Literature review43Brief analyses of modern American slangs43.1Definition43.2Characteristics53.2.1Brevity53.2.2Novelty53.2.3Instability64Rhetorical devices74.1Lexical rhetorical devices74.1.1Metaphor74.1.2Euphemism74.1.3Irony84.1.4Metonymy84.2Phonetic rhetorical devices84.2.2Alliteration and Rhyme95Conclusion9Works cited10Remarks on Modern American SlangGuangdong University of Foreign Studies 2013 Liu LiyuTutor: Zhang yan1 IntroductionExpressions that can be called slang make up a major part of American communication in movies, television, radio, newspapers, magazines and informal spoken conversation. This paper looks at the characteristics and the formations of modern American slang. Also, an attempt is made to further discuss the rhetorical features of American slang. In order to have a better communication with American people and a better understanding of the communication, the study of slang is necessary.2 Literature review Many researchers have studied the characteristics and formations of American slang. In this paper the writer will briefly analyse them and will further discuss the rhetorical devices of Modern American slang. There are many papers have discussed the lexical rhetorical devices of American slang. This paper not only want to mention the lexical rhetorical devices but also the phonetic rhetorical devices of American slang as well.3 Brief analyses of modern American slangs3.1 DefinitionMany linguists are trying to define slang. As for the definition of slang, different people may have different ideas. There have been various definitions on slang since its birth. Many of them are very impressive:“Slang is a language which takes off its coat, rolls up its sleeves, spits on its handsand goes to work” (Carl Sandburg 1878-1967). “Slang is the speech of him who robs the literary garbage cans on their way to the dumps” (Ambrose Bierce， Epigrams p. 358). Also, the definition of slang offered by Wikipedia is “Slangconsists of alexiconof non-standard words and phrases in a givenlanguage.”At present, a more acceptable and objective definition is offered by Longman Dictionary of English Language & Culture (English-Chinese):“very informal language that includes new and sometimes not polite words and meanings, is often used among particular groups of people, and is usually not used in serious speech or writing”. (1649) All in all, from the above-mentioned definitions, we can find that slang refers to the rude, dirty, indecent, informal and impolite language used by certain social groupsWANG BIN ed.:Translation on American Slang from the Perspective of Culture, C Xian International Studies University, 2011吴叔尉，英语俚语的修辞格研究，琼州大学，外语系，海南 五指山 572200，2007年5期（第九卷 总第35期）内蒙古农业大学学报（社会科学版）陆晓红. 趣味英语比喻. 上海: 上海科学技术出版社, 2003.吴叔尉. 美国俚语:流行的制约机制及促动因素分析. 琼州大学英语系,海南 五指山572200冯建.现代美国俚语浅析.外国语,1987(4).3.2 CharacteristicsAmerican slang is a language of highly colloquial type. According to Partridge, “Slang must always be related to convenience rather than to scientific laws, grammatical rules and philosophical ideals” (Eric Honeywood Partridge，6 February 1894 1 June 1979). It does not only bring convenience to users, but also has its unique characteristicsbrevity, novelty, instability.3.2.1 BrevityThe characteristic of brevity refers to the fact that American slang is concise, convenient and economic. The characteristic of brevity can be realized either by apocope, such as pic for picture, cig for cigarette, bro for brother, or by blending two words, such as the word Weisure =work + leisure(工闲) Refers to free time spent doing work or wo