Sociolinguistics is “the study that is concerned with the interaction of language and setting”.

It is the study that is concerned with investigating the relationship between language and society
with the goal of a better understanding of the structure of language and of how languages function in
communication.
Examining the way people use language in different social contexts provides a wealth of
information about the way language works, as well as about the social relationships in a community,
and the way people convey and construct aspects of their social identity through their language.
So, here we should speak about “slang”. Slang is unconventional words or phrases that
express either something new or something old in a new way.  In social aspect, usually slang
language use in one community or region as same as the speaker and hearer degree of formality in
order to build a close relationship or to avoid to be neglected by the others.
Slang appeared in the twentieth century and firstly used by criminal classes and black
communities in London. Criminal classes used slang as a secret, whereas the black communities
used slang as a protest to the white community who become the majority.
Slang is very popular today and as a result there are many advantages and disadvantages. Let’s
speak about advantages:

- Slang incorporates different backgrounds and makes the British language multicultural,
reflecting our diverse population. Slang in London can be a hybrid of Cockney, West
Indian, West African, Bangladeshi and more depending on where you are!

Examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang:

• Adam and Eve = believe = as in «would you Adam and Eve it?"

• I suppose = nose

• Ones and twos = shoes

- Slang offers a different level of communication and emotion within it.

Teen slang words that show emotions:

• Dope - Cool or awesome

• GOAT - "Greatest of All Time«

• Gucci - Good, cool, or going well

• Emo - Someone who is emotional or a drama queen

• OMG - An abbreviation for "Oh my gosh" or "Oh my God«

• Salty - Bitter, angry, agitated

- It shows our individuality and flexibility within our language. (BAE – baby (someone u
love), slay – upset, on fleek – stylish, extremely good, savage – brutal

- We have freedom of speech. Literally.

 - Using slang makes you desirable. Thus, you demonstrate that you are in tunes with the
times and that you know what is culturally in fashion. In addition, you prove how well you
master the situation.

e.g. speaking about People or Relationships we can use such words as:

 Cap - Fake or a lie

 Fam - Group of friends
 Bruh - Bro or dude
 A Karen - A disparaging way to describe a petty middle-aged woman, who is rude, especially
to people who work in the service industry. (For example, saying, "What a Karen," about
someone who returns their drink at a restaurant for not having enough ice.)
 Noob - A person who doesn't know what they're doing or who is bad at something
 Ship - You might "ship" two people together, as in they should be a couple
 Squad - Group of friends that hang out together regularly, used ironically
 Tool - Someone who is stupid, rude

- Also, it is fun. It is creative like poetry. Some semanticists describe slang as the “poetry of
everyday life.” It is a form of play, or entertainment.
Disadvantages:
- The differences between slang and standard English is sometimes so striking that a
beginner learner would hardly understand the meaning of a slang expression.
- Parents often complain they cannot understand their children’s slang, there is never any
real danger that members of groups who interact regularly will lose linguistic contact.
- Learners claim to be a part of a particular group by using the slang associated with a
particular social group. If you use the group’s slang language, you will be included in the
group. If not, exclusion occurs.
e.g. hospital slang. Beemer a polite way of saying that the patient is huge. Three Clinic Units - a
sneaky way of saying the patient weighs 600 pounds. Frequent flyer - a patient with so many visits
to the er in a short period of time that they're on a first-name basis with er doctors and nurses.
- Some people struggle to get through a sentence without saying “innit” or “do you know
what I mean”.
- Not everyone uses slang at the right time (a job interview in NOT the right time!).
- The quality of standard English is deteriorating.

- People can be prejudiced against those who speak a lot of slang.

- Slang can be offensive.

According to our information, we have 7 advantages and 8 disadvantages. It means that

there is no certain answer on the question “Is the slang good or bad?”. But we think that the
rational use of slang in our speech will not be superfluous.

To our mind, the development of studies of slang will contribute substantively as a

significant component of linguistic and social behaviour and methodologically as a basis for
integrating the study of language and society into a unified theoretical framework.