3.1.1 Stem from standard slang
Language originated from people’s labor, demands, interests, and the relationship between people, and so on. Actually, the slang mirrored people to get rid of the mechanical language mode, express their desires freely. Conversion based on the original vocabulary, which is mostly in order to imply the meaning of the standard language vocabulary or slang. Such as “chin” besides it is the part of one’s face that is below the mouth and above the neck, it also can mean gossip talk. The original meaning of the slang “real bad” is extremely bad, but now it can be used to refer to excellent. “The project was deep six” means the plan have been abolished(Cooper 68). Another example, “ham” is a word for people work in the entertainment business, while the slang “ham fatter” is on behalf of the underlying performances exaggerated actor.
3.1.2 Create from freshness
The biggest feature of slang is prominent expressive, persity and creativity. With the development of American society, the rapid change of people’s social life, updates of the people’s way of thinking, some new slang word appears. For example, word “oomph” in American English means sexy, charming, it was newly created based on onomatopoeic, similarly; “kook” means freak; “booboo” means stupid mistakes; “freak out” means nervous and be afraid of something(Cooper 77). Additionally, some are compositions, such as people call their congenial friends “homeboy” or “home girl”; still, some are blending, as the phrase来!自~优尔论-文|网www.youerw.com
“wannabe lifestyle”, which means groupies lifestyle, but “wannabe” in the phrase is blent by “want to be”(Cooper 82).
3.1.3 Derive from abbreviated slang
Thanks to the development of science and technology, the progress of the society, a large number of abbreviate words arise; there is no doubt that some slang words appear in abbreviate forms. Take “def jam” as an example, some American teenagers often use the word to show their love on pop music, while “def” among the word is the abbreviation of “definitive”, in common, “cig” is an abbreviation of “cigarette”; “VIP” is an abbreviation of “very important person”; “nabe” is an abbreviation of “neighbor”; “motel” is a mixed abbreviation of “motorist” and “hotel”; “journo” (news reporter) is by the journalist with the first half of the letter(Cooper 98).
美国俚语的社会功能研究(3):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_78650.html