Rhyming Slang Research Articles

Английские эвфемизмы на тему здоровья и болезни

Euphemisms for disease created by means of abbreviation and rhyming slang reflect new capabilities of euphemisms. This research is relevant since such euphemisms are widely used and require a more detailed examination. The article aimed to identify some synonymous euphemistic and dysphemistic names from the arsenal of communicatively correct expressions on the topic of health and illness in English, as well as to provide a sociocultural commentary on euphemisms in the form of rhyming slang and abbreviations characterizing two deadly diseases – cancer and AIDS – and such an unpleasant ailment as haemorrhoids. The key research method used here is descriptive, implemented in the techniques of systematization, generalization and interpretation of language material. The linguistic methods include contextual analysis and semantic interpretation. The topic of health and disease is represented by examples of euphemisms and dysphemisms selected from authoritative dictionaries of euphemisms and general and rhyming slang, as well as English-language fiction. Euphemisms and dysphemisms serve as an effective way to overcome taboos; they are used to smooth out unpleasant moments and “cover up” sensitive issues for the interlocutor, provided that the exact meaning of the statement can be guessed. In particular, the author selected euphemisms for cancer, AIDS and haemorrhoids in the form of rhyming slang and abbreviation since they had been overlooked by specialists in English euphemisms, which brings an element of novelty to the study of modern English euphemisms. Euphemisms associated with rhyming slang in Englishspeaking countries constitute a promising area of research. The main points and conclusions of this paper can be used when discussing euphemisms during lectures and seminars on the theory of language, lexicology, stylistics, text interpretation, and cross-cultural communication.

Эвфемизмы и дисфемизмы английского языка на тему физиологии женщины (беременность и роды)

This article aimed to study some common English euphemisms and dysphemisms on female physiology as exemplified by conception, pregnancy and childbirth, to describe the ways of creating such words and expressions, as well as to provide a sociocultural commentary on the euphemistic markers in contemporary English. The research is relevant due to the fact that euphemisms relating to female physiology have been studied rather superficially. Analysis from the viewpoint of rhyming slang represents a new and promising area in the field of euphemisms. The research methods are determined by the purpose and objectives of the study. The key method is descriptive, implemented using systematization, generalization and interpretation of language material. The linguistic methods include contextual analysis and semantic interpretation. The topic of women’s physiology is represented by expressions characterizing conception, contraception, pregnancy and childbirth that were selected from authoritative dictionaries of euphemisms and general and rhyming slang, as well as English-language fiction. The euphemisms were classified thematically (pregnancy as a special condition, pregnancy as an expectancy period, pregnancy with an emphasis on conception, pregnancy as an increase in the size of the belly, pregnancy as a source of trouble, and pregnancy as an accident). Techniques and means for creating euphemisms under study are presented. Rhyming slang, whose major function is euphemistic, is highlighted as a new promising sector of the functioning of euphemisms and dysphemisms referring to female physiology. The main points and conclusions of the article can be used when presenting the problems of euphemisms and dysphemisms in lectures and seminars on the theory of language, lexicology, stylistics, text interpretation, and intercultural communication.

Literary Associations in Rhyme Slang: Charles Dickens and His Characters in Rhyme Slang

The article aims at describing the literary associations of rhyming slang associated with the name of Charles Dickens, a classic of world literature, whose works were included in the treasury of both English and world literature and who became the most popular English-language writer during his lifetime, to reveal how the work of the eminent writer and unforgettable colorful characters, many of whom have become recognized types in English fiction, are represented in rhyming slang. The topic is examined using rhyming slang samples of containing the names of characters and titles of Charles Dickens's works, selected by a continuous sampling method from authoritative dictionaries of general and rhyming slang. Expressions of rhyming slang that refer to some important work of a writer or are based on the names of some significant characters are cultural items that are reflected in the collective memory of the British and are thus included in the so-called “current background knowledge” and “background knowledge of cultural heritage”. The rhymes contain precedent onyms and reflect the tendency to create new onomastic rhymes built on the names of famous and popular personalities from the world of cinema, pop music, show business, sports, politics, etc. Literary associations have not yet been the subject of special analysis and undoubtedly deserve linguistic and sociocultural description. The author's attention was drawn to the little-studied area, the analysis of which sets a new vector for the study of rhyming slang, which deals with cultural and historical items that are of certain value from the point of view of culture-oriented linguistics, cross-cultural communication and the general study of culture. The results of the study may be of use and interest to specialists developing topics in intercultural communication, linguocultural studies, contrastive linguistics of the English and Russian languages, foreign (English) literature, speech culture and in the practice of teaching English.

L-Vocalisation in London English

Linguists argued that the Cockney dialect, in London, is expected to be replaced by Multicultural London English in the years to come. However, this does not imply that Cockney is dead, as recent research revealed that it just moved to Essex. This paper aims at examining whether (l) vocalisation, a common feature of Cockney, is still present in the London district of Bermondsey. Ten working-class English speakers, stratified by age and sex, have been recorded by means of sociolinguistic interviews. The results, discussed both quantitively and qualitatively, show that: (a) (l) vocalisation is present in all age cohorts, with young speakers favouring the non-standard feature; (b) preceding long vowels trigger (l) vocalisation.

L-Vocalisation in London English

Linguists argued that the Cockney dialect, in London, is expected to be replaced by Multicultural London English in the years to come. However, this does not imply that Cockney is dead, as recent research revealed that it just moved to Essex. This paper aims at examining whether (l) vocalisation, a common feature of Cockney, is still present in the London district of Bermondsey. Ten working-class English speakers, stratified by age and sex, have been recorded by means of sociolinguistic interviews. The results, discussed both quantitively and qualitatively, show that: (a) (l) vocalisation is present in all age cohorts, with young speakers favouring the non-standard feature; (b) preceding long vowels trigger (l) vocalisation.

Between Nottin’ Ill Gite and Bleckfriars – the enregisterment of Cockney in the 19th century

AbstractIn the 19th century, Cockney, the traditional working-class accent of London, underwent a significant change in how it was perceived and described. At the beginning of the 19th century the public discourse on the Cockney accent was restricted to a few linguistic shibboleths such as the interchange of /w/ and /v/ (represented in spellings such asweal,winegar, orvell) and h-dropping, and mentioned by orthoepists and orthographically reproduced by some novelists. By the end of the 19th century, detailed Cockney descriptions and depictions had emerged, leading to the social and cultural construction – theenregisterment – of the Cockney dialect. This paper documents this process by systematically analysing various types of published meta-discourse for both the linguistic forms (shibboleths) mentioned and the social meanings associated with them, especially in the form of so-called ‘characterological figures of personhood’. It further analyses conflicting language ideologies that Cockney was subject to in the 19th century, and which influenced its enregisterment process.

Euphemisms of socially censured and punishable vices in rhyming slang

Euphemisms of socially censured and punishable vices in rhyming slang

Cockney moved East: the dialect of the first generation of East Londoners raised in Essex

Abstract This paper provides a dialectological account of the variety spoken by the first generation to grow up in a community in Essex populated by East Londoners after World War II. The dialect spoken by 15 speakers (female = 9; male =6) born between 1944 and 1969 is detailed in terms of vowels, consonants, morpho-syntactic features, and a brief discussion of Cockney Rhyming Slang. Comparisons are made with previous accounts of the working-class, East London dialect, Cockney, as well as the dialects of Essex (East London’s neighbouring county), East Anglia, South East England and Multicultural London English, the dialect now prevalent in the speech of young East Londoners. There are remarkable similarities between the English spoken in this Essex community and previous accounts of Cockney, including its most defining features. This Essex dialect is certainly encapsulated within the natural range of variation within Cockney and far surpasses the Cockney influences observed in other areas of the South East. Conclusively it can be determined that Cockney did move to Essex along with the communities who relocated.

An analysis of slang words found in the song lyrics of katy perry mtv unplugged album

Slang is very informal language or specific words used by a particular group of people. Slang words are usually spoken more often in emails or other written text. This included song lyrics. The study aims to analyze the types of slang and the meaning of slang words from the song lyrics of Katy Perry songs in MTV Unplugged album. This study used a descriptive qualitative method. The selected song lyrics by Katy Perry were chosen as the data source. Descriptive study in textual analysis is applied to elaborate the types and meaning which occur in song lyrics on MTV Unplugged Album. The theory proposed by Partridge (1984) was referred to analyzing the types of the slang words and the theory proposed by Leech (1981) for the meanings of the words. Based on the data were 16 words of society slang, slang in theater have 1 data, cockney slang have 2 data, public house slang have 1 data and 1 data from slang in art. Meanwhile, based on the theory of Leech (1981) this study found conceptual meaning occurred with 14 data, connotative meaning occurred with 6 data, and reflected meaning occurred with 1 data. There is no data that can be classified into social meaning, affective meaning, collocative meaning, and thematic meaning.

Spoken Grammar: Meaning, Principles and Characteristics

Abstract
 The terms Spoken Grammar was coined by the two corpus grammarians, Ronald Carter and Mike McCarthy. In the 19th century, it came under the impact of a number of local dialects represented by the cockney dialect in London, and the Lothian dialect in Edinburgh. The discussions, debates and studies on Spoken grammar have led to the specification of three main viewpoints concerning the existence of this types of grammar. The viewpoints entail that (1) grammatical rules do not govern spoken language, which is disorderly and disordered; (2) Speaking English lacks a distinct grammar. It has the same syntax as written English grammar; and (3) spoken language is regulated by a separate grammar with its own set of rules and conventions; i.e. it has its own grammar represented by its own set of rules, regulations, and classifications compared to those of the written language. T validate or refute the implications of the preceding viewpoints, relevant literature concludes that spoken grammar is quite prevalent in everyday conversational spoken English. It is characterized by being more flexible and less strict compared to written grammar. This is so because the informal context of using spoken grammar makes it have a syntax that varies from the traditional written grammar in a number of aspects. This purely theoretical research aims at shedding light on the definition, meaning, principles and the main characteristics of spoken grammar. The emphasis on the distinctive features of spoken grammar has triggered the researchers to focus on a further point of discussion, namely the differences between spoken and written grammar. To substantiate such differences, examples from closely relevant grammatical literature have also been provided. The research ends with some concluding points drawn upon from the preceding discussed and presented points.

Glamor standard of life: socialites of the end of the XX - beginning of the XXI century in rhyming slang

Glamor standard of life: socialites of the end of the XX - beginning of the XXI century in rhyming slang

Специфика средств речевой выразительности в территориальном варианте французского языка в республике Кот-д’Ивуар

The paper aims to reveal the specificity of speech expressiveness means in Côte d'Ivoire French. The article presents the research results, provides rich illustrative material. Scientific originality of the study lies in the fact that argot “Nushi” has not been previously investigated in domestic linguistics. The researcher conducts a comparative analysis of zoo metaphors in the French language and its Côte d'Ivoire variant. The research findings are as follows: the author reveals the similarity between Ivoirian argot “Nushi” and Cockney dialect, identifies the cases of metaphor borrowing between African variants of French.

THE TRANSLATION OF SLANG WORDS IN TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE MOVIE

The objectives of the study to find out the types of English slang words used and strategies in translating slang words from English to Bahasa uttered in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” movie. The data were collected using the theory of Partridge and Bloomfield, and theories of translation strategies by Mona Baker. The result showed that there were 61 slang words were found in this movie. They were classified into 7 types of slang words namely cockney slang, public house slang, workmen’s slang, slang in theater, slang in art, slang in public school and university, and society slang. Society slang is the utmost type of slang used in the movie and other pop cultures. The translation strategies used were translation by more general word, translation by more neutral/ less expressive, translation by paraphrase using the related word, paraphrase using the unrelated word, translation using loan word, cultural substitution, translation by omission, and translation by illustration. In conclusion, the researcher mostly used translation strategy named translation by a more general word in this research which has been determined by analyzing each source of data.

American presidents and politicians in rhyming slang

The article is aimed at identifying onomastic rhymes as part of rhyming slang and analyzing them from a socio-cultural perspective. They are built on the names of American celebrities from the world of politics and social activities and believed to be fixers of cultural and historical items that are of certain value from the point of view of culture-oriented linguistics, cross-cultural communication and the general study of culture. TThe research methods applied are determined by the purpose and objectives of the research and include a descriptive and a linguistic ones, the latter comprising context and definitional analysis, and also semantic interpretation. The rhymes are based on the names that have been widely represented in the media from the middle of the twentieth century to the present day, thus forming part of the modern cultural collective memory of the carriers of the English-speaking culture. The noted tendency of preferential creation of new rhymes, exploiting precedent onyms, became dominant in the development of rhyming slang at the turn of the century. The authors come to the conclusion that the rhymes illustrating the world of high politics have been added to the well-mastered and familiar onomastic rhymes, built on the names of celebrities from the world of cinema, pop music, popular culture and sports. The article brings to light the rhymes that have not yet been recorded in authoritative slang dictionaries. The research results can be of interest to the specialists working on the topics of intercultural communication, linguistic and cultural studies, cultural linguistics, political linguistics, euphemization, contrastive linguistics of the English and Russian languages.

Semantic Features of Rhyming Slang Units

Semantic Features of Rhyming Slang Units

MAIN TYPES OF AMERICAN SLANG AND ITS TRANSLATION INTO UKRAINIAN

Background. Today, issues related to the study of slangisms are gaining new perspectives as slang is becoming an integral part of modern linguistics. Slangisms gradually become part of the language, function in it, and then disappear, giving opportunity new ones to exist (so new slang expressions can be formed). However, American slang is peculiar and unique, created in different social and age groups as a desire for brevity and expressiveness, sometimes as a protest against long words or as a desire to name an object or its properties in its own way. Therefore, considering the fact that linguistics of the 21st century is characterized by a tendency to analyze live communication, and oral language communication is still the most important aspect of language, we consider the study of American slang and the identification of its major groups to be relevant at the present stage of the development of linguistics and translation.Purpose. In our scientific study we aim to investigate the specifics of using American slangisms.Methods. In the context of studies, a descriptive method was used, which made it possible to theoretically generalize the results, systematize and interpret the functioning of slang units at a particular stage of language development, continuous sampling method was used to distinguish modern American slang units from the total number of lexemes as well as the method of translation transformations to achieve the adequate transmission of the content of these slangisms.Results. Scientists mainly distinguish two types of slang – general and special. However, there is currently no unanimity in distinguishing between special slang. Some researchers believe that special slang encompasses argo, kent, rhyming slang, social jargon and professional speeches, back slang. Others are convinced that special slang is a specific vocabulary and phraseology of social jargon, professional speeches, and the argo of the criminal world. However, in our opinion, special slang is basically a national phenomenon that has no analogues in another culture. Therefore, within our study we distinguish 4 types of slang: 1) rhyming slang; 2) mobile slang; 3) student slang; 4) everyday slang.Discussion. The issue of slang translation is one of the most difficult ones in translation theory. At the same time, it is important for any translator, because it is related to a number of elements, in particular, the translation variety of country studies, the culture of the translator, the availability of equivalents, context, education and knowledge of the translator. In our view, promising areas include the study of gender features in the use of American slang

British state, public and political figures of the late 20th - early 21st century in rhyming slang

The article aims at providing an adequate linguistic and sociocultural description of rhyming slang based on the use of the names of prominent British government and public figures and politicians, who were widely represented in the British media at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, and are thus included in modern cultural collective memory of the carriers of the English lingual culture. The rhymes contain precedents of onyms − the personal names of well-known, fashionable, popular, or scandalous politicians. The noted tendency of the preferred creation of new rhymes, exploiting the precedent onyms, has become dominant in the development of rhyming slang at the turn of the century. The emergence of rhyming slang units based on the use of the precedent names of politicians and statesmen is a relatively new and insufficiently studied phenomenon while onomastic rhymes that exploit the names of celebrities from the world of cinema, pop music, popular culture and sports are more common and are better studied. The article contains the rhymes that have not yet been recorded in authoritative slang dictionaries. They surely deserve linguistic and sociocultural descriptions.The authors focused on a special and research-promising layer of vocabulary that reflects the sociocultural and historical items in the context of the so-called cultural literacy and is of certain value from the point of view of culture-oriented linguistics, cross-cultural communication and the general study of culture.The results of the research can be useful and interesting for specialists who develop topics of cross-cultural communication, culture-oriented linguistics, linguistic culturology, euphemy, contrastive linguistics of the English and Russian languages.

SIGNS OF WELSH INTONATION IN THE SPEECH OF AUSTRALIANS

The article reports on the study of the interferential influence of Welch intonation on the speech of Australians. Special focus is given to historical factors which influence the phonetic realization of Australians’ speech. The article contains overview of the results of lingual and historical analysis proving that the first emigrants of Australia were representatives of the lowest social classes, native Cockney, Venaculas speaker from different parts of Britain. Investigators consider that Australian English is more likely to be close to Cockney dialect with a touch of Welsh, Irish and a definite share of Scottish dialects. In the frame of the conducted complex investigation on the basis of auditory and computer analysis melodic and frequency characteristic of Australian speech were studied and the influence of English speech of the first emigrants from Britain was traced. In the result of the auditory analysis the prevalence of the Falling terminal tone was fixed, which is the peculiarity of the British intonation, and also high frequency of Rising and Rising-Falling nuclear tones. Such tendency is the result of the Welsh intonation influence on the speech of Australians. Computer analysis showed the frequency characteristics in the speech of the investigated informants vary which depend on gender and territorial belonging of the speaker. Uniqueness of Australian English has been revealed in the paper, which was formed in the run of historical development of the country under the influence of emigrants’ speech as well as from different areas of Britain and other countries. The analysis of segmental characteristics which were formed under the influence of regional factors inside and outside Australia are to be the subject of the future investigation.

A bit o’ footy rabbit: Some notes on football rhyming slang

Abstract The use of rhyming slang in British and Irish football is a relatively recent phenomenon that has sometimes been noted in passing, but never studied in detail. How is this type of lexis created? And, equally important, why do football lovers find it useful? Drawing mainly on examples from print and online sources, this article examines the linguistic features of the specialist rhyming slang of football, how it is coined and what it is that makes it so appropriate for the beautiful game. The final part of the article provides a glossary of terms and nicknames, many of which have hitherto escaped the notice of lexicographers.

ON THE ISSUE OF RENDERING STYLISTIC COLORING OF COCKNEY DIALECT IN TRANSLATION

The presented article is aimed at elaborating the problem of specific stylistic coloring achieved by the employment of the Cockney dialect in English literature in the 19th century. The main objective of the paper consists in investigating the stylistic value of the Cockney rhymed dialect as the powerful expressive means in the English literature of realism as well as the possible ways of its rendering in artistic translation. The results of the carried-out research have proved that there exist common strategies and techniques of both employing Cockney in English literature of the given period and reproducing it in literary interpretations. The practical value of the research lies in the fact that the conclusions may be applied in the educational activity, namely in the course of English stylistics. The urgency of this paper arises from the need for all-sided review of difficulties of translating belles-lettres works in contemporary translation studies. The object of the work is a Cockney dialect viewed in the aspect of its translatability. The subject is the specific stylistic function of Cockney dialect in B. Shaw's play. The immediate tasks of the article have been predetermined by the above-mentioned objective and include respectively: the disclosure of the specifics of Cockney dialect; the outline of the strategies and tactics of translating Cockney in belles-lettres works. The methodology of this research involved the inductive and deductive methods, the method of contrastive analysis and ethnic methodological conversation analysis. In the course of the research it has been concluded and experimentally and statistically proved that there exist common strategies and tactics of translating Cockney. It has also been postulated that the pragmatic and the expressive potential of Cockney is rendered in translation. The perspective is seen in reviewing the peculiarities of rendering Cockney in literary interpretations in various Western and Oriental languages.