I’m Heru Wibowo , you can say that I’m
a very socialize person . I make friends with anybody , from kids to old men .
But in this story , I wanna tell you about one of my friends, Agung, he’s a mad
scientist .
One day , he asked me to accompany him
, I just agreed , because I don’t know where . When I got there , I asked him “where
do we go?”, he answered, “ around the world “ . I asked him again, “Oh shit!
with what ?“ . Then, he opened a curtain and showed me something which was like
a plane. I was not really surprise since he’s a genius .
When we started the engine, suddenly
the plane move so fast. It only took 2 minutes to get to (believe me) the Great
Wall of China . I instinctively take a picture using my cellphone. We spent 15
minutes flying over the sky. Next, we also went to Paris , Egypt and Latin America.
When we had done with our travel, I asked
Agung , “where is our next destination?”. He said “to the moon“, i exclaimed, “
are you nuts ? “. Suddenly the plane turned into a Rocket. Then , in a blink of
an eye , we blasted off the sky and flight to the moon. I was confused because
we arrived there safe and alive. Still it was so shocking that we got there and
stood on the moon. After that breathtaking journey, we went back to the earth.
It’s quite an awesome trip, Agung was an awesomefriend.
Despite the fact that it undermines the standard language and is generally disapproved of, slang has been a trend in colloquial communication from celebrities to national leaders. The attitude toward it also changed over the last decades. Media in the UK and US even use slang to give information/ news to the audiences. Although there are criticisms and controversy about the using of slang in learning activity due to the grammatical errors that usually exist in slang, teachers should notice that learning slang expression is also important for the students.
Slang once was characterized as low and disreputable language (like swear words) used by criminals and marginal. It was considered as outmoded form of communication which only applied by street gangs as their secret codes. The judgment of slang now has changed because it has widely accepted and affected the way of speech of mainstream society a well. The Columbia Encyclopedia even notes that slang is often “well developed in speaking vocabularies of cultured, sophisticated, linguistically rich languages”.
It’s okay to introduce the students to some slang expressions because teacher must provide them with an understanding of the usage of colloquial English and slang expressions so they know how to use it property according to the situation. There are some benefits for students to know slang. First, it helps them to be more up dated on communication style / trend, it also enriches their vocabulary. Moreover it helps them to produce native like speech and most it can make the communication runs friendlily.
Several methods can be used for teaching slang , such as using media ( youtube videos , movies and songs ) , game , vocabulary journals , role plays , or through interactions with native speakers however on this analysis , we try to provide resource from a movie which is effective and much more entertaining .
There are several reasons why we choose HSM 1 movie as a source on analyzing slang expressions. First, HSM movie is quite rich of slang and colloquial English, so it makes a good source on our analysis. Second, HSM 1 is a very popular motion picture and known world wide by all people from 8 to 80’s. Thus the students will be able to follow the story line easily, because most of them might ever watch it. Third, HSM 1 is selected because the movie is simple and it contains slang and informal expressions which are easy to catch. This is very important for ESL students whose mother tongue isn’t English. And last but definitely not least, is because HSM 1 doesn’t contain vulgar or violent acts or speech, so it is safe to be used as media of learning.
DISCUSSION ON RESOURCE
From the movie, we can easily find some colloquial expressions and slang that appear in the scenes. In order to find out whether the words or phrases in the movie belong to colloquialisms or slang, we should know the different between those things.
Colloquial is everyday /common/ familiar conversation that are often used and everyone knows what they mean. Yet, slang is informal, nonstandard words or phrases that only used by certain groups but it is not used by most people. So there’s a little difference between those two. Most native speakers will know what colloquial word means, but it is hard for us to see the difference. However, slang is actually the sub-category of colloquial expression, so colloquialism is the broad category of informal speech which includes slang.
Slang expression used in this movie might be familiar to native speakers but not to us who don’t speak English as our first language. Therefore, we must transform the words into more understandable words that are easy to comprehend.
In this movie, we can analyze some colloquial words/phrases (which are commonly known) such as:
-Howdy : origin How d’ye, an informal friendly greeting (hello)
-History (adj) as in ‘my nails are history’ refers to out of date, unfashionable or something ugly.
-Freaky (adj) as in ‘I don’t wanna be a freaky genius girl’ : derived from the word freak means strange and odd.
-Welcome aboard: North American, an expression to greet someone who is newcomer in a group or institution.
-Hilarious (adj): very funny
-Cards on the table : a colloquial expression which means to say something directly
-Aced out (v) as in ‘her own brother would be aced out’: N. American to outwit or defeat ‘Her own brother would be aced out’
-Never took their eyes off the prize : focus to win
And some slang expressions, such as:
-Awesome (adj.): wonderful, excellent, or very impressive. A popular teenage word, first used in the USA in the late 1970s and 1980s as part of the vocabulary of hip hop music enthusiasts. This use of the adjective was imported into Britain in the 1980s, especially by teenage skateboarders and rap music enthusiasts.
-Wanna grab some lunch? : (N. American) want to get some lunch?
-You torch ‘em: you torch them, means you want to discourage them
-Hottie super-bum (N-America): an attractive female / male. This appreciative term, which probably originated in black street slang, became widespread in campus and high-school speech from the 1990s.
-Punk’d as in ‘we’re being punk’d’ : to humiliate, to make fun of someone.It was first used in MTV program called MTV punk’d in which the victims are fooled.
-My sawed-off Sondheim : N. American term for sawn off / short
-The drama geek: American a freak, an insane or disgusting person. This old word originated with fairground folk to describe someone willing to abase themselves or perform disgusting acts, such as biting the heads off live chickens, or a grotesque person exhibited for money. The word is now firmly established in teenage and schoolchildren’s slang, it may be derived from German, Dutch or Yiddish words for ‘to peep’, or from Dutch and English dialect words for a fool.
-The brainiacs: a shortening of ‘brain and maniacs’, high intelligence people who are so obsessed in science or any particular knowledge.
-The MVP: Most Valuable Player, this term goes to a person in sport team who has the best records throughout his history as a player.
-Hoops as in ‘good at hoops too’: hoops is from the word hoop out vb American means to play basketball.
-Guts (n) as in ‘put my guts to that game’ : personal courage or determinations
-Toodles means good bye
-Big time (adj) as in ‘we need you … big time!’ : very much, a lot
-Boost you up as in ‘we should boost you up, not tear you down’: American to push upward. Originally from black slang.
-Hoops dude : hoops came from the term hoop out vb American to play basketball. Dude means A man. The 19th-century American sense of dude as an overdressed city dweller, etc. (familiar from westerns and ‘dude ranches’) gave rise to a 20thcentury black usage meaning first ‘fancy man’, then simply a (male) person. The term came into vogue in the 1970s and spread to Britain, where in 1973 it was briefly adopted by the gay and teenage. Dude was originally a German rural term for a fool.
Scene 1
Taylor saw the basketball boys and the cheerleaders entering the hall and making loud noise. She whispered to her friend.
Taylor: behold the zoo animals heralding the New Year. How tribal.
-Zoo animals in this context refer to the packs of basketball boys and the cheerleaders.
-How tribal means that their attitude is very primitive.
Scene 2
Taylor and Gabriella were walking in the school yard, they were talking about Troy Bolton.
Gabriella: What do you know about Troy Bolton?
Taylor: Troy? I’m not an expert on that particular sub species, however unless you speak cheerleader as in “Oh my gosh, isn’t Troy Bolton just the hottie super bum?”
-Oh my gosh: it is an exclamation used as an euphemism of oh my God
-Hottie super-bum (N-America): an attractive female / male. This appreciative term, which probably originated in black street slang, became widespread in campus and high-school speech from the 1990s.
Scene 3
The wildcat team was having a closed practice in the gym with the coach.
Coach: Come on, guys, focus! Focus! Get your head in the game! Move it!
You seen Troy?
Jason: No... Coach
Coach: Again, let's go!
That's it, guys, let's hit the showers. Good hustle. Let's see that in the game
-Get your head in the game: this sentence means to focus or concentrate yourself to the game.
-Hustle(n): a rush, energetic action, introduced from the USA into other areas in the mid 1960s, derived from its origin in the Dutch husselen or hutseln, meaning to shake up or jostle. This gave rise to an American version of the word meaning hurry or shove, later used in the specific senses above.
-Hit (v): like in the sentence hit the bricks American, a more fashionable version of the colloquial ‘hit the road’ and later ‘hit the street’ (to get going or appear in public). Originally the phrase specifically referred to released prisoners. In this scene the sentence ‘let’s hit the showers’ means let’s go and take a shower.
Scene 4
Sharpay: And if those science girls get Gabriella hooked up with Troy Bolton,
the scholastic club goes from drool to cool, Ryan, we need to save our show from people who don't know the difference between a Tony Award and Tony Hawk.
-Hook up (v): American to kiss, embrace and/or engage in relationship. The phrase is used by high school and college students.
-Cool (adj) : excellent, admirable, acceptable or fashionable and attractive. One of the key items in the vocabulary of jazz musicians, hipsters, beatniks and hippies, cool, with its original suggestion of calm is a word which has not dated. It is as much in vogue with teenagers in the early 21st century as it was among the 1930s jazz musicians who probably coined it (to denote gentler, progressive jazz, as opposed to ‘hot’ jazz).
-Drool (adj) : silly
Scene 5
Taylor: From lowly Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, to early warriors, medieval knights. All leading up to....lunkhead basketball man, throughout the ages and we end up with spoiled, overpaid bonehead athletes who contribute little to civilization other than slam dunks and touchdowns.
-Lunkhead (n) American a slow-witted person, dullard. The term originated in the USA in the 19th century. It usually means a large, clumsy, ungainly person of low intelligence and/or slow reactions. It is a blend of lump and hunk (awkwardly stupid person)
-Bonehead (n) British a complete fool or a skinhead of unusually low intelligence and/or extremely right-wing views. The expression was used by skinheads themselves to characterize their more brutal fellows, who may also differentiate themselves by having almost completely shaven heads.
-Slam dunk (n) A basketball shot in which the basketball is thrust into the basket
-Touchdown (n) is usually used in American football, a score in American football; being in possession of the ball across the opponents' goal line.
CONCLUSION
From this assignment “Analysis of Sociolinguistics on Slang from High School Musical 1 (The Movie)” we can draw some conclusions:
Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of society including norms, culture, dialect on the way language is used.
Slang is a speech community concept in sociolinguistics, it is different from jargon. Slang is used among young speakers/ other groups with special interest, while jargon is the technical of special field, profession or groups which exclude other people.
Slang has been existed since 16th or 17th century which was developed by English Criminal Cant, but in modern times, slang has been developed and used largely.
Slang is important for English learners to know because it enriches their vocabulary and helps them to produce native like speech.
Slang isn’t appropriate to be used in formal occasion.
People use slang for some reasons such as to be different, to make communication friendlier, to enrich the language, to be secret (use it as secret code as in fraternity or sorority groups in college).
The methods for teaching slang are quite abundant; one of them is by using movie or other video which is entertaining.
By watching these scenes from the movie, the students could not only witness the use of colloquial English and slang in a natural context, but they are also provided an opportunity to practice using slang in a safe environment.
SUGGESTION
Here are some suggestions that we can share for teaching slang for English learners:
It is important for teacher to introduce the students to slang / colloquial speech in order to enrich their vocabulary so they are accustomed to hear or even to use it appropriately.
Before teaching slang, teacher should explain that slang isn’t a standard language like in the written or formal English, so the students will learn how to distinguish when, where and with who they are allowed to speak this kind of speech.
In teaching slang by using movie as media, while the students are watching the scene, ask them to note down every slang word / phrase that they hear or read in the subtitle.
Let the students guess what the meaning of each word they noted down before the teacher explains the exact meaning.
Give the student time to practice each new word / phrase they’ve learned by making a dialog or role play.
Please don’t choose any movie that contains sexual or violent acts as a media of learning.
