美国俚语和美国文化A Brief Analysis of American Slang and American CultureContentsAbstract.1Key words.1I. Introduction.2II. Definitions of Slang and Culture.21. Different definitions of slang.22. Different definitions of culture.3III. The Relationship between Slang and Culture.41. Language and culture.42. Slang and culture.5IV. The Origins of Slang.51. Literary masterpieces.62. The Bible.63. Greek and Roman mythologies .64. Ancient fables75. Historic affairs76. Anecdotes77. Customs78. The animals habitual behaviors89. Seafaring810. Agriculture811. Daily life9V. The Usage of Slang.91. Setting.92. Medium9VI. American Slang and Subculture Groups .101. Teenager Group102. Beat Generation113. Political group.114. Homosexual and drug addiction group.125. Criminal group 12VII. Reasons for Using slang.13VIII. Conclusion.14References14A Brief Analysis of American Slangand American CultureAbstract: Language is a symbol of a nations culture to a certain degree. On the other hand, language influences culture a lot. From a dynamic view, language and culture interact with each other and shape each other. Language is the carrier of culture which in turn is the content of language. We can dig out cultural features from language and explain language phenomena with culture. Learning a foreign language, in fact, is inseparable from learning its culture. American English is rich in words that are humorous, vivid and homonymous, which are so-called slang. Such wordplays are not within the legitimacy English teaching which leads to the English learners misunderstanding of some simple conversations. However, slang plays a very important role in American daily lives. When we are going to learn them we need to know the background of the relevant slang. Slang as a special form of language carry a large amount of cultural information such as history, geography, religion, custom, nationality psychology, thought pattern and etc, and therefore are closely related to culture. Consequently, we can know much about culture through studying slang and in turn get better understanding of slang by learning the cultural background behind them. Learning American slang could also help us understand American culture farther on the other way round. Key words: background; daily life; reflection; American slang; American culture摘 要：在一定程度上语言是文化的标志。另一方面，语言在很大程度上影响文化。从动态角度看，语言和文化相互影响。语言是文化的载体，还是文化的一部分。我们可以从语言中发觉文化的特征以及通过文化来解释语言现象。事实上学习一门外语是和学习其文化是相辅相成的。美国英语中有很多富有幽默、生动、一语双关的词汇并被称为俚语。然而这些双关语并不在常规教学当中出现。因而导致很多英语学习者们遇到俚语时一头雾水。但是俚语在美国人的日常生活中起着非常重要的角色。我们学习俚语时需要掌握相关背景知识来有效的学习俚语。俚语作为一种特殊的语言其本身承载着很多文化的信息，例如：历史，地理，信仰，风俗，国人的心理状况，思维方式等等。因此，对于美国俚语的学习还可以进一步了解美国文化。关键词：背景；日常生活；影射；美国俚语；美国文化I. IntroductionAny country or nation has its own language, which consists of formal language and informal language. In order to succeed in communication, we need to know both of them well. Slang are the words or phrases that are vivid, humorous, and homonymous; but it is not within the legitimacy language teaching. Therefore, to foreign language learners, there are always many misunderstandings when some native speakers use slang. Whereupon, knowing the cultural context of slang is the shortcut of grasping the way of understanding and using them.American English is as popular as Hollywood movies among the young. Its beautiful pronunciation and intonation attract many beginners to imitate it. However, to most English learners, they can not understand some black humor or conversations in the movies. Communication with Americans becomes an annoying obstacle. The main problem is that people from non-English speaking countries always misunderstand or misuse a great amount of American slang. In fact, students cannot truly master the language until they have also mastered the cultural contexts in which the language occurs. (National standards in Foreign Language Education Project, 1996.p.27). In a word, slang become a lion in the way to learn English. To learn slang effectively, it is helpful to know the background of relevant slang. Learning American slang could also help us understand American peoples thinking style, daily life, and customs and beliefs on the other way round. For we Chinese