MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION NGUYEN THI HOAI TAM CHARACTERISTICS OF SLANG WORDS ON CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE DOCUMENTS Speciality Linguistics Classification 9[.]
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION NGUYEN THI HOAI TAM CHARACTERISTICS OF SLANG WORDS ON CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE DOCUMENTS Speciality: Linguistics Classification: 9.22.90.20 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS ON LINGUISTICS Hanoi - 2022 This thesis is done in Hanoi National University of Education Advisor: Prof.PhD Nguyen Van Khang Reviewer 1: Assoc Prof PhD Vu Thi Thanh Huong (Institute of Linguistics) Reviewer 2: Assoc Prof PhD Pham Ngoc Ham (University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University) Reviewer 3: Assoc Prof PhD Pham Thi Thu Thuy (Hanoi National University of Education) The thesis will be defended in front of the school committee in charge of doctoral thesis of Hanoi National University of Education at 2022 The thesis can be found at: - Vietnam National Library - Information center and the library of Hanoi National University of Education LIST OF PUBLICATIONS BY THE AUTHOR Nguyen Thi Hoai Tam, New conceptions of slang among Chinese linguists Language & Life magazine, No (238)-2015 Nguyen Thi Hoai Tam, Method of forming slang words in Vietnamese Language & Life magazine, No 12(306)-2020 Nguyen Thi Hoai Tam, Characteristics of Vietnamese slang words from the perspective of meaning and scope of use Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, No (69) 2021 INTRODUCTION The rationale for the selected topic 1.1 Slang is a familiar concept in linguistics as well as in life It is a colloquial language which is characterized by local color and tradition It exists together with different social groups, so it not considered the standard language of the society 1.2 According to the theory of social linguistics about social dialects, social groups exist, respectively, there will be social dialects, slang is considered a specific type of social dialect Because of the dependence on social groups, slang is on a strong trend Vietnamese and Chinese society since the 1980s has changed due to the impact of the market economy and international integration Accordingly, the social divide is very strong, social groups appear more and more, making language variations formed in Vietnamese and in Chinese also thrive, including slang 1.3 In slang, words play a major role In other words, slang is made of words Slangs are created by social groups, so they are characteristic of each social group However, as a part of a language, slang is formed inseparable from the general characteristics of each language So, it is necessary to point out the structural and semantic characteristics of slangs This not only contributes to the study of lexical-semantic characteristics of a language but also promotes the use and learning of a foreign language This is the reason why we select and study the topic "Characteristics of slang words on Chinese and Vietnamese documents" Purpose and task of research 2.1 Research purpose: To systematize theoretical issues related to slangs, analyze, compare and clarify the structural and semantic features of Chinese and Vietnamese slangs The research results contribute to the study of slang in particular, the social dialect of social linguistics in general and devote to the understanding ethnic cultural characteristics of language 2.2 Research mission: Here are the following main tasks: 1) Systematize theoretical points of view in studying the characteristics of Chinese and Vietnamese slangs, thereby building a theoretical basis for the thesis; 2) Study and survey Chinese and Vietnamese slangs on two aspects: structural side and semantic side; 3) Through surveying the structural and semantic sides of slang words in Chinese and Vietnamese, the thesis aims to point out the general characteristics of slang words and the specific features of them in each language Subject, scope and materials of research 3.1 Research subject: The research subject of the thesis is slangy words and phrases in Chinese and Vietnamese, collected from Vietnamese - Chinese dictionaries and articles through the media 3.2 Research scope: The research scope is to study and survey Chinese and Vietnamese slangs on two aspects: structural side and semantic side Because the concept of slang words in particular and slang in general associated with morphemeification is still quite complicated, in this thesis, the researcher limits slang in four social groups: robbery, drug abuse, prostitution and smuggling Slang terms used among these social groups are inherently confirmed with the traditional concept that slang links to bad social groups in the society 3.3 Document sources: Research documents of slangs falls into 1.472 Vietnamese slangs and 1.472 Chinese slangs from a number of dictionaries and printed newspapers Specifically: - Nguyen Van Khang (2002), Vietnamese slang dictionary, Science and Society Publisher, Ha Noi - 李淑娟 最新中国俚语－汉英对照（New slang of China, New World Press)［M］.新世界出版社, 2006 (Ly Thuc Quyen – Li Shu juan (2006), Latest Chinese Slang – Chinese – English comparison （New slang of China, New World Press)［M］, New World Publisher.) - 陆静贞。新编俗俚语大全.浙江古籍出版社, 2007 Lục Tinh Trinh (2007), Great dictionary of new proverbs and slang, Zhejiang Ancient History Publisher.) - Printed and online articles of newspapers such: People's Public Security newspaper, Capital Security newspaper, World Security newspaper, or documents provided by friends and colleagues - Some films broadcasted on VTV1, VTV3 TV; some forums on media such as Facebook, Weibo, etc Research methods and tactics: The thesis uses the following research methods: Methods of collecting data, method of linguistic description, qualitative research and quantitative research methods; meaning analysis, meaning field and vocabularygrammar variation analysis, meaning context analysis, and comparison Contributions of the topic 5.1 Theoretical aspect: Research results of the thesis contribute to clarify the theoretical and practical achievements on slangs in modern Chinese and Vietnamese languages, clarify structural and semantic features of Chinese and Vietnamese slangs; at the same time, give comments on the similarities and differences of them, and clarify some basic characteristics of the language variation in the community of Chinese and Vietnamese from the theoretical foundation of Social Linguistics 5.2 Practical aspect: By using research results, the thesis aims to contribute to the work of approaching and explaing slang words and slangs as well as their usages, especially in the current context with the ever-increasing number of social groups, making language variants more and more diverse The thesis results will also have great contribution in preserving the puriness of Vietnamese, improving the efficiency of using, teaching and learning Chinese and Vietnamese Structure of the thesis: In addition to the Introduction, Conclusion, and References, the thesis has chapters as follows: Chapter Overview of the research situation and theoretical basis Chapter Structural features of slang words (from Vietnamese and Chinese documents) Chapter Semantic features of slang words (from Vietnamese and Chinese documents) CHAPTER OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH SITUATION AND THEORETICAL BASIS 1.1 Overview of the research situation on slangs 1.1.1 International research situation Appearing from the second half of the 20th century, Social Linguistics revolves around researching and systematically explaining the developments and fluctuations of language under the influence of social factors As a variant used in verbal communication, slang is a type of social dialects Authors of studies on slang in the world such as : "Kansas University Slang: A New Generation" (Dundes Alan and Schonhorn 1963), "The language of the teenage revolution: the dictionary defeated" (Hudson, 1983), when studying the tendency to use slang by young people in society, have noticed a major difference between slang and standard English, etc.; The language of teenage groups - They don't speak our language (Clem, 1976) studied the language of the youth, namely the standard deviation when using American English; etc 1.1.2 The research situation in China and Vietnam 1.1.2.1 In China The study of slang is one of the areas that attracts quite a lot of interested Chinese researchers The study of Chinese slangs is conducted from many aspects: from pure theory, from slangs in ancient texts, and from slangs in the media such as 最 新 中 国 俚 语 － 汉 英 对 照( 李 淑 娟 Li Shujuan, 2006); 现代俚语的概念界定及其形成机理 (闫文培 Yan Wenpei) 1.1.2.2 In Vietnam Since the beginning of the 20th century, many domestic and oversea scholars have paid attention to the study of slang in Vietnam One of the first studies on slang in Vietnam was L'argot anamite (Vietnamese slang) published in the Journal of the Bulletin de l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient (BEFEO) since 1905 by J.N Cheon Author Nguyen Van To (1889-1947) had the essay L'argot anamite de Hanoi published in 1925 The evaluation trends of slang researchers are: 1/ Slangs are an unhealthy phenomenon in language which only exists in a classbased society and gradually disappears, so it is necessary to take a radical anti-slang attitude as well as remove it from the cultural language (Nguyen Van Tu 1976; Nguyen Kim Dien, Nguyen Trong Bau, 1982; etc.) 2/ It is necessary to have a respectful attitude and accept good, positive slang, to complement the the national language (Trinh Lien and Tran Van Chanh, 1979; Nguyen Thien Giap, 2002, etc.) 3/ Comprehensive study of slang from the perspective of social linguistics (Nguyen Van Khang, 2002), According to the author, slang is a specific variant of social linguistics; The concept of "slang" is explored in terms of origin; distinguished from jargon, at-work language, euphemism; methods of creating Vietnamese slang and their function in relation to Vietnamese in general 1.2 Theoretical basis 1.2.1 Social dialect 1.2.1.1 The concept of social dialect As long as social groups exist, languages still have social dialects The number of social dialects will be equal to its of social groups The formation of social dialects is therefore closely related to the social attributes of the communicator "Each member of society will be classified into different social classes on the basis of a series of criteria such as gender, age, occupation, background, cultural level, Social class characteristics have a direct impact and create characteristics of language in use" (Nguyen Van Khang, 2012) 1.2.1.2 Language variants, standard and non-standard variants Author Nguyen Van Khang (2012) argues that "Language variations are forms of existence and transformation of language and expressions of language commonly used in the same social situation with the same social characteristics" Language variations have diverse expressions with different levels Despite many controversial opinions about standard language, most researchers now agree that standard language can be understood as norms accepted by the social community The opposite is nonstandard The fact shows that non-standard does not mean it is wrong Language development can transform non-standard phenomena into the norm after a period of use Therefore, it is difficult to have a clear-cut boundary between standard and nonstandard variants 1.2.1.3 Communication community The communication community is the most important part of the social community, which “is a group of people who communicate with each other using the same language" (L Bloomfield ) A communication community is a social community where people use the same language or some certain forms of language In particular, the common feature about the means of communication - language, is the link connecting that language community 1.2.1.4 Language choice and language usages Communication is the most important function of language, because language is born to perform the function of communication The communication process is considered the process of applying and choosing the language Accordingly, "Choice is considered one of the essences of the use and interpretation of language The choice of language is conducted at any level of the language such as phonetics, grammar, vocabulary Because just a small transformation in one stage will create a deep sense of pragmatical meaning" (Nguyen Van Khang, 2012) 1.2.1.5 Language attitude Speaking of language choices, it is impossible not to mention language attitudes Language attitude is an assessment of the value and behavioral tendencies of a community or individual to a language or a language phenomenon There are three linguistic attitudes that are often mentioned: Loyalty, prejudice, and self-deprecation 1.2.2 Some problems regarding words, phrases and the meanings of words 1.2.2.1 Words and phrases a) Word: Word is an important unit of language that attracts a lot of attention from researchers However, so far, neither in Chinese nor Vietnamese has a unified view of it It can be seen that the word has a number of characteristics as follows: Chinese and Vietnamese words are is fixed in form of expression; word always exists and is available in every language Words are composed by some methods such as: Singleword formation method (changing the morpheme to create grammatical characteristics and lexical meaning); complex-word formation method (combining two or more morphemes having same properties together in a certain order to create new words); duplication method (acting on a base morpheme to create another partly or totally similar morpheme) b) Phrase: here referred to fixed phrase that "has sustainable vocabulary and grammar" (Diep Quang Ban) In term of the formation, word and phrase are different in the number of morphemes However, in term of the meaning, the meanings of word and phrase are equivalent, denoting (identifying) the same thing or phenomenon Within the scope of the thesis, we conceive of slang words including slang phrases and slang words 1.2.2.2 Word meaning Word meaning is the spiritual content from which the word manifests It is formed by the combination and impact of many factors, including external ones such as objects, phenomena in objective reality, users’ mindset and internal language factors such as (signal function or structural system of language) Types of word meanings include denotative meaning, significative meaning, pragmatical meaning 1.2.3 Slang and related terms 1.2.3.1 Definition of “Slang” There are different views of slang On that basis, within the scope of the thesis, we conceive slang as a linguistic phenomenon with basic characteristics: (1) Slang is a variant of social linguistics, associated with a particular social group, created, used by that social group, clearly expressing the identity of that social group; (2) Slang has a limited, informal scope of use (3) Slang is provisional in nature, appears rapidly and changes, can be lost quickly However, there are also a few slang words that go into the linguistic life of people, are accepted and become new elements in the language; (4) Slang is no longer confidential and expands the scope of meaning 1.2.3.2 Distinction between slang and other terms In the scope of this thesis, we distinguish slang from other terms such as jargon, terminology, at-work word, dialects and euphemism They have certain similarities and differences 1.2.3.3 Characteristics of slang As a social dialect, slang does not give itself a phonetic or grammatical system, but the difference mainly stems from the lexical resources with all new senses of meaning or those that “overlap” the original meanings Slang is built on the basis of separating the "expressed" of those slang from the "expressed" of commonly used words and at the same time introducing the "new expressive meaning" Therefore, listeners are forced to decode and of course only members of the same social group 10 there is also a common slang using among different groups Secondly, in each social group there is a difference between the number of morphemes that make up slang These phenomena initially show that the formation of Chinese slang is very diverse and highly productive Table 2.2 Chinese slang by word units Rate Number of word unit Social groups Total (%) Single complex words words Robbery 56 74 337 467 31,73% Drugs 29 46 314 389 26,43% Prostitution 31 59 225 315 21,40% Smuggling 32 54 215 301 20,44% Total 148 233 1091 1.472 (%) 10,05% 15,83% 74,12% 100% phrases 100% 2.1.1.2 Parts of speech In terms of the part of speech, Chinese slang can be divided into: - Word: Slang words are nouns: 241 (14,54%); (2) verbs: 116 (7,88%) (3) adjectives: 51 (3,46%); - Phrase: Slang phrases are noun phrases 556 (37,77%); verb phrases: 417 (28,33%); adjective phrases: 118 (8,02%) 2.1.2 Structural features of Chinese slang in specific 2.1.2.1 Chinese single-syllable slang words 1) In term of the structure, Chinese slang words can also be composed of one morpheme by means of morpheme magnetization (148 single words) 2) In term of the origin, Chinese single-syllable slang words are divided into native slangs (115 words, for examples 爬 cướp; 搬 kiếm khoản tiền lớn) and foreign slangs (33 words, for examples 笳, 筋 ketamin, 操 fuck) 3) In term of the parts of speech: 77 single-syllable slang words are nouns, for example: 货 hàng lậu,妈 ngực phụ nữ; 53 single-syllable words are verbs, for example: 办 phạt, 崩 bị bắn chết; 18 are adjective, for example: 嗨 phê thuốc, 拽 chảnh, 甩 đẹp trai, 切 xì 11 2.1.2.2 Chinese complex slang words Chinese slang words are formed by two methods, which are morpheme compounding and morpheme reduplicating a) Slang words are mainly compound words (201), appearing in social groups: robbery, for example: 搠包儿 robbery, 大院子 nhà tù; drugs, for example: 鸽子, 迪饼 thuốc lắc, 条子 cảnh sát; prostitution, for example: 肉票，煤饼，鸡 gái làng chơi, 发嗲 làm nũng; smuggling, for example:着草 chuồn, chạy trốn; 老巢 hang ổ, tụ điểm băng nhóm b) Slang words are duplicated words (32) For example: 光光 tỏi, chán chường; 蓝蓝 đàn ông; 屁屁 mông In terms of origin, there are 192 complex words derived from native words, for example: 老二 phận sinh dục nam, 出册 tù; 41 Chinese complex words that are of foreign origin, for examples: K 仔 Ketamon; E 仔 thuốc lắc; MB 妈比 motherfucker 2.1.2.3 Chinese slang phrases In terms of the number of morphemes, Chinese slang phrases are divided into slang phrases with morphemes: 651(42,29%); morphemes: 289 (19,63%); or more morphemes: 151 (10,26%) In social groups there are differences in the number of slang phrases: slang phrases in robbery group: 337 ( 22,89%); in drug group 314 (21,53%); in prostitution group: 225 (15,29%); in smuggling group: 215 (14,61 3%) Slang phrases with or more morphemes: 151 (10.2%), for example: 梁上君子 đầu trộm đuôi cướp; 自作自受 tự làm tự chịu 2.2 Structural features of Vietnamese slang 2.2.1 Structual features of Vietnamese slang in general 2.2.1.1 Structural components The specific results are as follows: 12 Table 2.3 Vietnamese slang words belong to social groups by the number of morphemes Number of morphemes Social or more group morphem morpheme morpheme morpheme e s s s Robbery 104 216 54 51 425 28,87% Drugs 101 211 55 51 418 28,40% Prostitution 80 182 43 39 344 23,37% Smuggling 69 145 36 35 285 19,36% 354 754 188 176 1.472 100% 24,05% 51,22% 12,77% 11,96% 100% Total (%) Total Rate (%) - According to the social group: Robbery group has the largest number: 425/1.472 (28,87%); drug group: 418/172 (28,40%); prostitution: 344/172 (23,37%); smuggling: 285/1472 (19,36%) - Slang with morphemes has the largest number: 754 (51,22%); morpheme: 354 (24,05%); morphemes: 188 (12,77%) and or more morphemes: 176 (11,96%) 2.2.1.2 Parts of speech - Slang as nouns: 147(9,99%), as verbs: 105 (7,13%), as adjectives: 44 (2,99%); Slang as noun phrases: 651 (44,23%), verb phrases: 460 (31,25%), adjective phrases: 65 ( 4,41%) - In terms of word formation methods, most of Vietnamese slang words are formed on the basis of Vietnamese: these slang words are slang words using the inherent lexical units of Vietnamese and give them a new meaning, which is slangy meaning For example: bệnh viện: nhà tù, cơm trắng (ma tuý) In terms of origin, Vietnamese slang words are composed mainly from Vietnamese origin; foreign slang accounts for low rate 2.2.2 Structural features of Vietnamese slang in specific 2.2.2.1 Vietnamese single slang words 13 There are 122/1,427 Vietnamese single slang words (8,29%) In terms of origin, there are 63 slang words that are Vietnamese-origin words: 51.64% (mổ, tép, rau, dính,…); 43 Chinese-origin words : 35.25% (thạch, yêu, cửu, lậm), 17 India- European words: 13,93% ( some, đô, ken, swing) In terms of part of speech, there are 69 single words as nouns (thạch, đoàn, vé), 38 as verbs (dính, bắn, chịch),15 as adjectives: (xộp, khủng)… 2.2.2.2 Vietnamese complex slang words Vietnamese complex slang words include compound words and reduplicated words: 259/1.472 (17,60%), reduplicated words: 4/1.472 (0,27%) In terms of origin, the slang words in Vietnamese are diverse in origin, such as: pure Vietnamese: 71, Chinese-origin: 107 , India-European-origin: 38 ( xăng xanh, sêm sêm, ô ran sếch) 2.2.2.3 Vietnamese slang phrases Slang in social groups has little difference Specifically: drugs: 311/1.472 (21,13%), robbery: 306/1.472 (20,79%), prostitution: 259/1.472 (17,06%), smuggling: 211/1.472 (14,33%) In terms of part of speech, noun phrases have the highest number: 326/1.472 (47,80%), next is verb phrases: 287/1.472 (42,08%), adjective phrases: 69/1.472 (10,12%) In terms of the origin, 229 noun phrases has pure Vietnamese origin; 401 Chinese-origin phrases and 52 India-European origin phrases 2.3 Comments (1) It can be seen that slang in both Chinese and Vietnamese languages are based on the word and phrase formation methods of each language, that is, morphemes making up single words, compound words and noun phrases, verb phrases and adjective phrases Slang words are duplicative words in Vietnamese and Chinese accounts for a negligible number (2) Chinese and Vietnamese both make use of foreign words and their phonetic forms, and meme simulation method to create slang.; (3) In Vietnamese, there is also a phenomenon of changing the first consonant to create slang (nhị: bị,; lục: mục) or “mixing the rhyme” to create slang (bát: bét, súng: séng); (4) It is possible to create slang words with unfamiliar phonetic form: Create slang by giving it a new meaning – a sense of meaning that only the members of the group can understand Or, using Vietnamese words with phonetic forms that not express semantic characteristics The origin of these phonetic forms may come 14 from the influence of the use of verbal or dialect words - phonetic forms are provided with entirely new meanings; (5) Many 2-morpheme slang words are removed one, often retaining a blurred meaning that are not used independently; (6) The majority of slang words in both Chinese and Vietnamese are created by using existing vocabulary units and granting them a slang meaning; (7) For Chinese, slang words are also created based on the pictograms of Chinese characters 2.4 Sub-conclusion of chapter Chapter explored the characteristics of Vietnamese and Chinese slang words in terms of slang formation characteristics and slang word formation methods Based on the classification of slang words, we have analyzed the structural features of Vietnamese and Chinese slang words and phrases in turn in terms of part of speech, origin and structural form 15 CHAPTER SEMANTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SLANGS (FROM VIETNAMESE AND CHINESE DOCUMENTS) 3.1 Semantic characteristics of slangs in general (From Vietnamese and Chinese documents) 1) As a social dialect, slang does not give itself a phonetic or grammatical system, but the difference mainly stems from lexical resources This difference is expressed in slang Slang is built on the basis of separating the "new expressed" from the "expressed" of commonly used words and at the same time introducing the "new expressive meaning" Therefore, listeners are forced to decode and of course only members of the same social group can decode that code Thus, slang utterances will have the following characteristics: In terms of structure: slang utterances are built on the sentence structure of Vietnamese and Chinese, in which slang words only account for a part, but not all Regarding semantics: the utterance is often difficult to understand, or incomprehensible due to its “closeness” and “group confidentiality” in meaning of slang 2) In chapter two we presented the structural characteristics of slang words in Chinese and Vietnamese These are related to their semantic characteristics For example, slang words are created from the literal meaning, the semantic meaning (commonly used in life), where accordingly, in order to switch into slang maning, they are forced to change meanings (switching from semantics to slangy meaning) In addition to that, slang words are also created from strange phonetic forms which will be granted with additional slang meanings to become slang Similarly, many slang words are created from foreign language words by granting new meanings or sense of meanings Hence, the meaning of slang words does not separate the characteristics of their structure The sense in the meaning of slang plays an important role in determining the slang meaning of slang In particular, slang, due to the high level of "personalization" within social groups to ensure confidentiality, are very popular to be created and used by gangster groups (groups of people with a tendency to break the law) 3) In the development of word meaning, people usually mention “extending meaning” and “narrowing meaning” However, the researcher uses the concepts of 16 "generalization of meaning" and "specialization of meaning" to refer to the transmission from semantic meaning to slang meaning It is realized that the shift from semantic meaning to slang meaning of slang almost use the specialization approach, that is, from the generally semantic meaning, the words are given new slangy meanings and turn into slang words For example: The word “hàng” from the meaning of “a general product created by people to trade in the market” is narrowed by the group of prostitution to refer to “sluts” This narrowed meaning still means the general meaning used by normal people; yet can also be “drug”, “weed” 货 in Chinese mean “general product” is given a new meaning of “drug” 4) Word meaning transformations: The formation of slang meaning mainly bases on the basis of meaning transformations Metaphorical transformation: Based on the sense of meaning that provoke metaphorical transformation, slang in surveyed social groups are under the forms of: Metaphor formed basing on the similarity of form between things (rơm, bút, đoàn, cặp bưởi, etc); Metaphor formed basing on the similarity in how it is done (thác ném, trồng cỏ, xả đá, góc, số, bóc lịch, etc); functional metaphors formed basing on functional similarity ( gà cưng, an dưỡng, bạn hiền, etc) In addition, many slang terms are formed using metaphorical proper names That can be the character's name in literature and artistic works such as novels, movies, songs, etc ("Thị Nở": ugly woman, “Quỳnh Búp bê”: prostitute) Metonym transformation: Compared with metaphorical transformation, slang words surveyed social groups established by metonym transformation are few in number However, the metonymized words are mostly familiar words and are used quite often, for example: chân dài, kiều nữ, cậu bé, áo mưa, etc Metonym transformation includes many types, for example: Based on the part-whole relationship (black hand: state officials and employees together with fraudsters for smuggling); based on the costume-person relationship ("yellow shirt": police; "blue shirt": armed police; "cacap": cadre, etc); 5) Same as normal words, slang words also have multi-meaning, synoyms and antonyms - The phenomenon of multi-meaning is expressed as: It is based on developing the original meaning into slang meaning, for example ( gà, chém, đạn, đâm họng, gả, làm 17 việc, mốc 51, sờ; multi-meaning by itself has many different meanings (excluding the original meaning), for example: hàng, gà, nhập, chơi, cò mồi, chim lợn; With a same slang, different social groups will give it a different meaning Among these meanings, we can still recognize a certain relationship according to a certain association For example, the word “hàng” has different senses of meaning in different social groups: prostitution group gives it a meaning of sluts; robbery group means weapon; drugs group mean “thuốc phiện, cần sa, đá, ke” (drugs); smuggling group mean smuggling products thuốc lá, đường, thuốc y tế Synonym of slang words Slang terms created by social groups are largely spontaneous and accepted by social groups When expressing different things and phenomena, each social group in general and each object in the group in particular always tend to create new slang words to express the same thing or phenomenon Therefore, many slang words for the same thing and phenomenon are created, so many synonyms are formed For example, slangs meaning members of the prostitution group can be mentioned such as: bị lạc, bơng hoa nhỏ, ca ve, cá vàng, cai gà, gà, chim lạ, chị đại, nhạn, nhện, lạ, đại gia, kiều nữ, chân dài, em út, gái bán hoa, gái bao,…;失足女 (gái bán dâm), 麦客 (người làm thêu vụ gặt), 风声贱人 (tiện nhân tin đồn), 小姐 (tiểu thư), 肉票 (con tin)，煤饼 (bánh than) 6) The meaning of slang is often "strange" to non-group members or outsiders because it belongs to the own language of specific social groups Accordingly, the meaning of utterances (slang) is often difficult or impossible to understand for those who not belong to the social group that uses such slangs For example: In Chinese, a social group engaged in prostitution uses 雄西 : prostitute ("tây” 西 refers to female genitalia) 7) It can be said that, both in Chinese and Vietnamese, modern slang in general and informal slang words in particular are currently becoming a social language phenomenon In terms of meaning, slang can have positive but also negative or neutral meanings This range of meaning is up to the subject, the communication purposes and the need 8) It can be said that the appearance of slang words has its rationales For example, in Chinese, there is an appearance of the word “大哥大” (đại ca đại): “大哥大” ... meaning" (Nguyen Van Khang, 2012) 1.2.1.5 Language attitude Speaking of language choices, it is impossible not to mention language attitudes Language attitude is an assessment of the value and behavioral... smuggling, for example:着草 chuồn, chạy trốn; 老巢 hang ổ, tụ điểm băng nhóm b) Slang words are duplicated words (32) For example: 光光 tỏi, chán chường; 蓝蓝 đàn ông; 屁屁 mông In terms of origin, there... as: bị lạc, bơng hoa nhỏ, ca ve, cá vàng, cai gà, gà, chim lạ, chị đại, nhạn, nhện, lạ, đại gia, kiều nữ, chân dài, em út, gái bán hoa, gái bao,…;失足女 (gái bán dâm), 麦客 (người làm thêu vụ gặt),