A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech Speech is the vocalized form of human communication. It is based upon the syntactic combination of lexicals and names that are drawn from very large vocabularies. Each spoken word is created out of the phonetic combination of a limited set of vowel and consonant speech sound units. These vocabularies, the syntax which structures them, and their, writing or paralinguistics Paralanguage refers to the non-verbal elements of communication used to modify meaning and convey emotion. Paralanguage may be expressed consciously or unconsciously, and it includes the pitch, volume, and, in some cases, intonation of speech. Sometimes the definition is restricted to vocally-produced sounds. The study of paralanguage is known as. Colloquialisms are also sometimes referred to collectively as "colloquial language". [1] Colloquialisms or colloquial language is considered to be characteristic of or only appropriate for casual, ordinary, familiar, or informal conversation rather than formal speech or writing.[2] Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier.
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Examples
Some examples of informal colloquialisms can include words (such as "y'all Y'all, formerly spelled "You-all'", is a contraction of the phrase "you all", and is pronounced as one syllable. It is used as a plural second-person pronoun. Commonly believed to have originated in the Southern United States, it is primarily associated with Southern American English, African-American Vernacular English, and" or "gonna Going-to future is a term used to describe an English sentence structure referring to the future, making use of the verb phrase to be going to" or "wanna"), phrases (such as "ain't nothin'" and "graveyard dead"), or sometimes even an entire aphorism The word aphorism denotes an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and easily memorable form ("There's more than one way to skin a cat").
Map showing the popularity of different soft drink naming conventions Soft drinks are generally known in Ethiopia by the Amharic word "leslassa", meaning literally "smooth". The popular brand names "Koka" and "Mirinda" (Orange Soda) are also in common parlance in the US; "Pop" (blue) in the Midwest and Northwest, "soda" (tan & brown) in the Northeast and Southwest, and "coke" (red) in the South.[3]Colloquialisms are often used primarily within a limited geographical area, known by linguists Linguistics is the scientific study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of meaning (semantics and pragmatics). Grammar encompasses morphology (the formation and composition of words), syntax (the rules that determine how words to spread through normal conversational interaction of a language, though more often now through informal online interaction. A common example given is the regional term used by people when describing a carbonated soft drink A soft drink is a drink that does not contain alcohol. Soft drinks are often carbonated and commonly consumed while cold. The most common soft drinks are colas, flavored water, sparkling water, iced tea, sweet tea, lemonade, squash and fruit punch. In the Upper Midwestern United States The Upper Midwest is a perceived region of the United States with no universally agreed-upon boundary, but it almost always lies within the US Census Bureau's definition of the Midwest and includes the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. Other definitions include North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Ohio, and Iowa, in common with Canada Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area and its common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the world's longest, it is commonly called "pop", while in other areas, notably the Northeastern and extreme Western United States, it is referred to as "soda". In the Southern United States The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States. Because of the region's unique cultural and historic heritage, including Native Americans; early European settlements of English, Scots-Irish,, it is commonly called "Coke" regardless of brand. Some southerners even refer to soft drinks as "dope." The common belief is that this is an outdated reference to stimulant properties contained in these drinks. In New England New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut it is occasionally called "tonic." In some areas of Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland it is referred to as "ginger", and confusion over whether this term referred to all soft drinks or just ginger beer was apparent in the case of Donoghue v Stevenson Donoghue v Stevenson AC 562 was a decision of the House of Lords that established the modern form of the tort of negligence in English and Welsh law, and delict in Scots law, by setting out general principles whereby one person would owe another person a duty of care. The case originated in Paisley, Renfrewshire under Scots law, but the House of. (See: Names for soft drinks Soft drinks are generally known in Ethiopia by the Amharic word "leslassa", meaning literally "smooth". The popular brand names "Koka" and "Mirinda" (Orange Soda) are also in common parlance for more regional examples of colloquial names given to soft drinks.)
Another example of colloquialism is the two different terms for rectangular maple doughnuts. They are called Long Johns in most of the United States, but in the Pacific Northwest (such as Oregon and Washington), they are referred to as Maple bars A maple bar is a rectangular pastry topped with a maple glaze. It is a regional term from the Pacific Northwest, specifically Oregon and Washington. Elsewhere it is known as a maple-glazed Long John. In New England (such as Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut), they are called Bear Claws.
Words that have a formal meaning may also have a colloquial meaning that, while technically incorrect, is recognizable due to common usage. For example, though biweekly is truly defined as "every other week", many dictionaries list both "twice a week" and "every other week".
Auxiliary languages An international auxiliary language or interlanguage is a language meant for communication between people from different nations who do not share a common native language. An auxiliary language is primarily a second language are sometimes assumed to be lacking in colloquialisms, but this varies from one language to another. In Interlingua Interlingua is an international auxiliary language (IAL), developed between 1937 and 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA). It is the second or third most widely used IAL (after Esperanto and perhaps Ido) and the most widely used naturalistic IAL: in other words, its vocabulary, grammar and other characteristics are, the same standards of eligibility Words can be included in Interlingua in either of two ways: through regular derivation using roots and affixes or by establishing their eligibility as international words. The second of these methods is explained below apply to colloquialisms as to other terms. Thus, any widely international colloquialism may be used in Interlingua. Expressions such as en las manos de... 'in the hands of...', ¿Qué pasa? 'What's going on?', are common.
Distinction between colloquialisms and slang
Some linguists Linguistics is the scientific study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of meaning (semantics and pragmatics). Grammar encompasses morphology (the formation and composition of words), syntax (the rules that determine how words make a distinction between colloquialisms and slangisms (slang Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo . It is also used to identify with one's peers words). According to linguist Ghil'ad Zuckermann, "slang refers to informal (and often transient) lexical items used by a specific social group, for instance teenagers, soldiers, prisoners, or thieves. Slang is not considered the same as colloquial (speech), which is informal, relaxed speech used on occasion by any speaker; this might include contractions such as you’re, as well as colloquialisms. A colloquialism is a lexical item used in informal speech; whilst the broadest sense of the term ‘colloquialism’ might include slangism, its narrow sense does not. Slangisms are often used in colloquial speech but not all colloquialisms are slangisms. One method of distinguishing between a slangism and a colloquialism is to ask whether most native speakers know the word (and use it); if they do, it is a colloquialism. However, the problem is that this is not a discrete, quantized system but a continuum In mathematics, "the continuum" is sometimes used to denote the real line, and more generally to describe similar objects. Every part of the real line is said to be a continuum. Peirce: A continuum is something every part of which has parts. Although the majority of slangisms are ephemeral and often supplanted by new ones, some gain non-slang colloquial status (e.g. English English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century, it has become the lingua franca in many parts of silly – cf. German German (Deutsch, [ˈdɔʏtʃ] ) is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native selig ‘blessed’, Middle High German German (Deutsch, [ˈdɔʏtʃ] ) is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native sælde ‘bliss, luck’ and Zelda, a Jewish female first name) and even formal status (e.g. English mob)."[4]
References
- ^ colloquialism. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved September 10, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/colloquialism
- ^ colloquial. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved September 10, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/colloquial
- ^ http://popvssoda.com
- ^ See p. 21 in ‘‘Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew’’, by Zuckermann, Ghil’ad, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is an international academic and trade publishing company, headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom and with offices in New York, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Delhi, Johannesburg. It was created in 2000 when St. Martin's Press Scholarly and Reference in the USA and Macmillan Publishers in the UK united, 2003.
External links
- Slangasaurus The Slang Dictionary, and Urban Thesaurus You Wrote
- Colloquial Spanish Dictionary of Colloquial Spanish.
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