Slang
Our everyday speech consists of words and phrases generally known by all; however, deformations occur in particular groups expressing and reinforcing the cohesión and identification of their members. This kind of language is called social jargon or slang.
According to the RAE (Spanish Royal Academy), slang is a "special language between people of the same trade or business", although this concept can be extended to people sharing common characteristics and social status, the same origin or hobbies.
There are different types of slang. The most common are:
- Juvenile slang: young people, with their own slang, intend to stand out from the crowd. Sometimes they create neologisms, sometimes they change the meaning of existing words. Foreign words, such as "ok" or "body" are often used.
- Underworld slang: the slang of outcasts, groups that are not socially integrated.
- Professional jargon: the speech closely linked to technicalities, specific to a particular activity or profession.
- In recent times the written language has also been affected. Mobile phone texting has led to a new kind of language with its own codes involving not only the vocabulary, but the general language. It also includes iconic elements. A variant of this is the language of chat.
Some examples are:
1. JUVENILE SLANG
| SLANG | MEANING IN SPANISH | MEANING IN ENGLISH |
| Montarse una película | Fantasear | Fantasize |
| Flipar | Alucinar | Freak out |
| Tirar los tejos | Intentar ligarse a alguien | Chat up |
| Coger un pedo | Emborracharse | Get drunk |
2. UNDERWORLD SLANG
| SLANG | MEANING IN SPANISH | MEANING IN ENGLISH |
| Birlar | Robar | Steal |
| Aminalarse | Acobardarse | To flinch |
| Apiolar | Matar | Kill |
| Macarra | Rufián | Lout |
| Bajío | Mala suerte | Bad luck |
3. MOBILE PHONE TEXTING
| ARGOT/EMOTICONO | MEANING IN SPANISH | MEANING IN ENGLISH |
| :-) | Feliz/sonriente/humor, es broma; | Happy / smile / humor, joke |
| :-> | Otro rostro feliz | Another happy face |
| :-D | Gran sonrisa; | Big smile |
| : -( | Infeliz/triste; | Unhappy / sad |
| (:-( | Muy triste; | Very sad |
4. PROFESSIONAL JARGON
| TRUCK DRIVERS JARGON | MEANING IN SPANISH | MEANING IN ENGLISH |
| Laboro | El trabajo | The work |
| Pitufo | Guardia Civil de Tráfico | Traffic warden |
| El rosco | El volante | Steering wheel |
| La tractora | La cabina del camión | Truck cabin |
| WAITERS JARGON | MEANING IN SPANISH | MEANING IN ENGLISH |
| Cubata | Ron con cola | Rum with coke |
| Espuela | La última copa | One for the road |
| Destornillador | Vodka con naranja | Vodka with orange |
| Raf | Ginebra con cola | Gin with coke |
Over a period of time, many samples of substandard language become socially acceptable and even adopted by the language academies. This does not mean the slang of each community will disappear, because they invent new terms to identify their own members.