Without Slang and Idioms, Students are in the Dark! by David Burke "After writing a successful series of books on French and Spanish slang and idioms (the Street French and Street Spanish series), it never dawned on me to write a series ser ies of o f boo books ks focu foc using on Americanisms. Americanisms. After all, we don't use that much slang...or do we? When I was working out at the gym with a French friend of mine, Pascale, a friend of his came up and enthusiastically inquired, "What's " What's up?" Pascale paused a moment, moment, took a step ste p backward and looked up, checking out the ceiling. Realizing he didn't get it, I quickly piped up and explained, "Oh, that's slang for 'How are you?'" He looked confused, obviously not understanding understanding how "What's up?" could possibly possibly have anything to do with "How are you?" But his friend didn't stop there. "So, Pascale, did you hear how the Italian soccer team licked the French team?" As Pascale's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, an expression I hadn't seen since the days of "Our Gang" comedy, I suddenly realized where he had gone with that one and could only imagine what image his mind was conjuring up. It was at that moment that I realized for the first time that there was absolutely no way a nonnative speaker of English could fully understand an American movie, TV show, news broadcast, or even a typical conversation without help because our language is loaded with nonstandard English, i.e., slang and idioms. Defining Terms Since we use both terms, slang and idioms, we ought to define them. I asked a group of ESL teachers, "What is the difference between slang and idioms?" Everyone had their own answer. After consulting several dictionaries, all having slightly different takes on the definitions, I would like to propose these definitions: definitions: SLANG: Nonstandard vocabulary of a given culture or subculture. In other words, slang is typically a nonstandard word, not a phrase as is an idiom. Slang would include words like pooped, to down a drink, the grind, boob-tube, threads, bonkers bonk ers,, basket case, etc. Slang words may or may not have alternative literal meanings. They may be "made up" words. IDIOM: A phrase that is commonly understood in a given culture or subculture to have a meaning different from its literal meaning. A good example of this is "to bend over backwards." This phrase is commonly understood in our culture to mean "to exert an enormous effort in order to accomplish something." The literal meaning, however, is the physical act it describes, of which few may actually be capable of doing! Why Should I Teach Nonstandard English? Each year at the TESOL Convention, I'm approached by the occasional teacher who is annoyed that I write classroom texts on slang and idioms and that I am, as one teacher put it at last year's convention in Seattle, contributing contributing to the decay of
the purity of the English language. She was so animated and fiery about her platform that English remain pure and untainted that she soon attracted a crowd of teachers at our booth (so who needs fancy signs and banners?). One of the onlookers, obviously disturbed by her statement, chimed in, "Ma'am, not to teach students everyday slang and idioms is to assure that they remain outsiders. Let's face it, we all speak in code." Another teacher added, "You're doing your students a great injustice because they'll never be able to fully integrate and you're only teaching them one part of our language." Flushed and noticeably irritated, she quickly retorted, "Then it's our responsibility as teachers to perpetuate the purity of the English language..." then turning toward me, "...not promote its demise by teaching nontraditional language." I defended by position (and my life's work) by adding, "If you've chosen not to teach slang to your students, that's certainly your decision. But you must admit that the average native speaker does use a certain amount of slang and idioms in everyday speech." "Well I certainly don't!" she hurled back as she picked up her materials she had placed on the table. "I'm sorry to be so agitated about this, but it just really ticks me off!" It was like something out of a TV comedy. All the teachers who were now swarming around her repeated in unison, "Ticks...you...off?" It was such a delicious moment that it almost had a flavor. Hardly able to contain my glee, I responded with the jubilation and triumph of a lottery winner, "That was slang! It was so natural to you that you didn't even notice!" Then, stunned and somewhat uncertain now of her own convictions, she said, "No way! C'mon! that's just a colloquialism." "'No way'? 'C'mon'? Those are both slang expressions!" She looked dazed for a moment then burst out laughing and said, "Ya know, I didn't even realize it!" We spoke for quite some time after that, and I learned that part of her disapproval stemmed from the fact that she was equating slang with obscenity. Oddly enough, this is a fairly common mistake. In fact, in Japan, the term slang has a negative context for the same reason. Under the guise of the dictionary's definition of slang as nonstandard English, leaving quite a bit of room for interpretation, obscenities and curse words could indeed be placed into the category of slang. However, slang in general does not fall into the category of obscenities, a common misunderstanding, especially among nonnative speakers of English. Is Slang Only Used By The Lower Classes? "Absolutely not!" I tell my international students. There is universal slang that is used by everyone. However, there are many subcategories of slang used by specific groups. Slang can be seen as a family tree with universal slang at the top representing words that are not only used consistently in the media, but by virtually everyone. This huge category of terms and expressions spans all ages, social groups and economic groups with such common words and expressions as: "to be ticked off"
"to pig out" "to stand someone up" "to get one's second wind" "to be wiped out" "to get canned, etc." Within this category are commonly used initials which represent complete sentences, another important category to be conquered by the nonnative speaker. Although they sound completely normal to native speakers, to the outsiders, they are nothing but a meaningless string of letters. Imagine how a secretary, whose first language is not English, would respond upon being given the following information: FYI, the CEO wants you to pick up a BLT and an OJ for the VP ASAP. OK? Abbreviations and acronyms are a large part of our daily language, many of which are used commonly yet whose literal meaning is unknown even by native speakers; for example, LASER (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), and TIP (to insure promptness). Just below universal slang on the family tree are subcategories used by specific groups such as teens, rappers, surfers, different trades, economic groups, and racial groups; there is even regional slang. Many of these subcategories contain their own very colorful expressions. For example: TEENS: Our home-ec (home economics) teacher is really phat (beautiful) and her class is the bomb (great)! RAPPERS: Hey, homie (friend)! Why you wallin' (being a wall flower) instead a bustin' a move (dancing) to that def jam (great music)? SURFERS: The big mama's (ocean) fully mackin' (pumping out) some gnarly grinders (huge waves) with corduroy to the horizon (one after the other). DINER WAITERS/WAITRESSES (from the 1950s): Gimme a cold pig on a green sea (ham sandwich with lettuce), burn 50 (on toast) and put shoes on 'em; they're going for a walk (to go)! DOCTORS: We need to gork (anesthetize) the patient before calling in the blade (surgeon). SOME SOUTHERNERS: I'm more scared than a long-tailed cat in a room full a rockin' chairs or I'm more scared than a porcupine in a balloon factory. Slang and idioms are used throughout the world, and many of our own common expressions have equivalents in other languages in other places. These can be entertaining to learn! For example: AMERICAN: You'll pulling my leg! FRENCH: Tu te paies ma tete! (literally: You're treating yourself to my head!) SPANISH: !Me estas tomando el pelo! (literally: You're taking my hair!) GERMAN: Du willst mich wohl auf den Arm nehmen! (literally: You want to take me up the arm!) Is It Okay To Use Slang In Business? I tell students, "Definitely!" In fact, business is notorious for creating a slang or jargon of its own. Clearly, a nonnative speaker who doesn't have a working knowledge of business jargon would be at a loss. Imagine someone not familiar with idioms being told during a meeting that he or she "has the floor" or being asked to "take the ball and run with it."
The following paragraph would surely go over the head of the average nonnative speaker, yet the terms and expressions are certainly common in the business world (and this is just the tip of the iceberg): "I don't know who blew the whistle on Bernie, the paper pusher in accounting, but he just got called on the carpet by the big wigs for calling in sick again. If he doesn't pull it together soon, he's gonna get canned, and cush jobs like his don't grow on trees!" Sports jargon is particularly widespread in business since sports permeate American culture. This may also be related to the fact that both sports and business in the past have been predominantly influenced by men. To my knowledge, nothing has shaped the language of business more than sports, and not just one sport: BASEBALL: to field a phone call, to be home free, to come out of left field, to be in the ball park, to be out of someone's league, to pitch ideas, that's one strike against him/her. BOATING: to be on an even keel, each man for himself, to go down with the ship, to like the cut of someone's jib, to shape up or ship out, to be smooth sailing, to take the wind out of one's sails. BOXING: to go a few rounds with someone, to be a heavyweight, to be a lightweight, to hit below the belt. FOOTBALL: game plan, to run interference for someone, to take the ball and run with it, to tackle a problem. HORSE RACING: to be down to the wire, to be first out of the gate, to be in the homestretch, to jockey for position, to be left at the gate, to be neck and neck, to be right out of the chute, to win by a nose. SWIMMING: to dive right in, to get one's feet wet, to go in headfirst, to sink or swim, to jump off the deep end, to test the water. TRACK and FIELD: to come in a close second, to clear a hurdle, to have the inside track, to jump the gun, to keep pace with someone or something, to pace oneself, to set the pace. Should Teachers Teach Naughty Words? After years of presenting to numerous teachers and leading discussion groups, I have found that the vast majority of teachers feel that familiarizing students with slang, idioms and even some vulgarities is much more desirable than having students pick up this type of language haphazardly on the street. The main concern is that students often hear vulgar or provocative words used loosely and gratuitously and, therefore, don't understand the full weight and connotation of a particular term or expression. The unsuspecting student may find himself in an embarrassing situation. However, having first been exposed to this type of vernacular in the classroom, these potentially embarrassing situations may be avoided. In addition, being able to recognize vulgar language is essential for one's own safety or survival. When I lived in France as a 15-year-old, I met a group of teenagers who eagerly took me under their collective wing since I was a curiosity for them, being an American who knew very little French. I could only understand about two percent of what they were saying, but they always seemed upbeat and friendly. When I started to repeat some of the new words I had heard from my new friends, the French family I was living with at the time said that I should never
repeat these words to anyone nor should I ever see those teenagers again. Having never been taught this type of slang, I was completely unaware that I had just been befriended by members of a gang. As educators, we need not promote the actual use of slang, idioms, and certainly not vulgarities, but we do have a responsibility to familiarize the nonnative speaker with this type of language. After all, whether we like it or not, this nonstandard English has existed for years and will continue to exist. Knowledge of slang and idioms is fundamental to nonnative speakers' understanding of the language that native speakers actually use. It is also essential for those who want to integrate into our culture; without slang and idioms, students wi ll always be outsiders. This nonstandard English may even be important for students' safety and well-being. SIDE BAR How Do You Teach Slang and Idioms? Throughout my 15 years of writing self-teaching books on slang and idioms and speaking to numerous groups during lecture tours around the world, I've been able to interview the teachers and students who have used my original books. Through these interviews, I have been fortunate to hear from teachers first-hand which techniques worked and which ones fell short. The consensus has been the desire for a text with 1) with fewer slang terms and idioms packed into each chapter; in other words, they want more "bite-size" chunks of information; and 2) more classroom activities. My newest classroom edition (Street Speak,1998) is based on hundreds of these helpful comments. This new format is already being used at Berlitz, Duke University, Aspect International, Boston University, EF International, ELS Language Centers, and American English Academy, among other places. From my experience and from my conversations with teachers, I've found the following method to be the most effective way to teach slang and idioms. Presentation 1. Start with a natural dialogue that contains no more than twelve slang words and idioms. According to students, any more than that is simply too many. 2. Based on the context of each phrase, allow the students to guess what each slang term or idiom means. For example: "It really ticks me off when you lie!" Ask the students to guess what that could mean. Ask, "Is the speaker happy that the other person is lying?" The students will erupt in a big "No! The speaker is angry!" 3. To really lock in the meaning, it's fun to go around the classroom and have each student use "No, it ticks me off!" as they respond to your questions such as "Do you like it when people borrow money from you?" "Do you like it when your brother or sister borrows your clothes without permission?" etc. "Real Speak" Unanimously, teachers and students absolutely love going back through the dialogues using common reductions. Learning the slang and idioms without this step leaves the students at a loss when they hear native English speakers. When a standard sentence of ten syllables is suddenly transformed into five syllables with reductions, the students are always amazed and delighted. Since students have all heard this type of delivery, this portion of the lesson is always met with lots of
laughs and, more importantly, an eagerness to learn this "funny" way we all speak. After slang and idioms are presented, understood and practiced with reductions, a variety of reinforcement activities can make the meaning stick. Whole class activities as well as pair work can be successful for reinforcing a lesson. At my last TESOL lecture, I had a group of 100 teachers do a pair work activity. The laughing and tittering during this ten-minute period demonstrated the potential fun of pair work. A Sample Group Activity: Slang and Idioms Concentration Game Students responded to this one with wild enthusiasm. The teacher divides the class into two teams. In front of the classroom, the teacher posts 36 cards in six rows of six. The cards are all clearly numbered 1 through 36. Half of the cards have slang words o r idioms written on the back while the other half have the meanings. The goal is to match a slang word or idiom with its meaning. With only one student choosing at a time, the teams take turns trying to choose two cards that match. When a match is made, the person who made the correct match must use that term in a complete sentence. If that person cannot, a person from the other team gets to try. Whichever team gets the correct answer gets a point. I've found that when the person who made the correct match is allowed to be helped by the entire team to form a correct sentence, it creates an immediate bond among members of the team and inhibitions are overcome. Students are then more willing to take chances and make mistakes; a glorious moment for any language teacher who may have a shy student! ----------------------------------David Burke is the author of more than 21 books on slang and idioms including Street Speak and Biz Speak classroom editions. This article first appeared in the September/October 1998 issue of ESL Magazine.
