THANG LONG UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT A STUDY ON THE USE OF ENGLISH SLANG WORDS IN DAILY COMMUNICATION AMONG STUDENTS OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AT THANG LONG UNIVERSITY Supervisor: Ma
Gender Characteristics 20
From the chart, it can be seen that the majority of students participating in the survey are female students, accounting for 57.4% of the total, equivalent to 58 out of 101 students The number of male students accounted for 36.6% of the total, equivalent to 37 out of 101 students The smallest number were those of other genders, with 5.9% of the students, equivalent to 6 out of 101 responses
The academic standing of the students who participated in this survey are presented in chart 4.2 below:
Students’ Academic Years 21
The chart provides the proportion of the academic levels of the students taking part in the survey, including freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior The number of final year students participating in the survey is the largest, with 61 out of 101 respondents, accounting for 60.4% The second largest number is third year students with 31 participants, taking up 30.7% of the total students Second year students who participate in the survey is 6 out of 101 students, accounting for 5.9% The smallest number came from first year students, with only 3 people (3%)
The self – evaluated English levels of the participants are presented in chart 4.3 below:
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Student’s Self – Evaluated English Levels 22
Four levels of English are illustrated in the pie chart: A2, B1, B2, C1-C2 As observed in the chart, the number of students who evaluated themselves with English proficiency level B2 accounts for the largest proportion (42.6%), which means that out of 101 students, there are 43 students deemed to reach this level Next was the group of students who assessed themselves with C1 – C2 level, with 35 out of 101 students, constituting 34.7% There is 17.8% of students consider themselves to reach level B1 (18 students) The group of students who say they are at level A2 has the lowest rate, with only 5% of the total number of students
4.2 Students’ Perspectives and Experiences in Using Slang Words in Daily Communication
Table 4.1 The relationship between student’s attitude of slang and their frequency of slang usage
Never Rarely Some Most Every
The presented frequency distribution table offers a comprehensive overview of the varying levels of slang use according to different attitudes among the surveyed participants Firstly, looking at the negative attitude category, it is notable that none of the respondents reported never or consistently using slang, but a small percentage (0.99%) implied rare usage This suggests a dislikeness or limited engagement with slang among individuals holding a negative attitude Moving to the neutral attitude category, there is an interesting progression in their use of slang None of the participants claimed to never use slang, and 9.9% reported rarely using it However, 25.74% respondents said they used slang words "Some" of the time, 5.94% reported using it
"Most" of the time, and 1.98% used slang "Every" time This result suggests a broader acceptance and integration of slang into communication among those with a neutral attitude Lastly, in the positive attitude category, the absence of respondents reporting never using slang is remarkable The data reveals a varying of usage, with 14.85% using it "In some conversations”, 27.72% using it "In most conversations", and 9.9% using it
"In every conversation” Through this, it is noticable that people with postive attitude tend to accept and include slang words in their conversations more than those with negative and neutral attitude The table, therefore, paints a detailed picture of how attitudes influence the frequency of slang usage, illustrating the complexity of language dynamics and the diverse ways individuals engage with slang in their daily communication
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4.2.2 Student’s Worries About Slang Usage and Their Understanding of Slang Words
Language varies constantly, with new definitions for new words every day
Therefore, students may not completely understand all the slang words they used The author asked students at Thang Long University if they ever had to worry about using slang incorrectly, and whether they understand the current slang words The data is presented in the chart below:
Student’s Understanding of Current Slang 24
According to the data in the chart, a substantial 22.8% of students assert they understand the meaning of many current slang words, while an additional 22.8% said they can comprehend the meaning of a few This suggests a combined total of 46 out of 101 possess a commendable understanding of English slang Diving deeper into the nuances, 17.8% express complete confidence in understanding many current slang words, and 8.9% claim to have a good grasp of the meanings of many slang terms, summing up to 27 students with a strong knowledge of slang language However, a noteworthy aspect emerges when exploring the worries associated with using slang The data is shown in the table below
Table 4.2 The relationship between student’s worries about slang usage and their understanding of slang words
Worries about using slang correctly
Completely understand the meaning of many current slang words
Quite understand the meaning of many current slang words
Understand the meaning of many current slang words
Completely understand the meaning of a few current slang words
Understand the meaning of a few current slang words
Quite understand the meaning of a few current slang words
Barely grasp the meaning of today slang words
The detailed examination of the frequency distribution table illuminates the interconnected dynamics between students' concerns about using slang correctly and their comprehension of current slang words at Thang Long University According to the table, there is a remarkable percentage of respondents express worries about using slang, ranging from completely understanding to barely grasping the meaning of various slang words Among students who worry about using slang correctly ("Yes"), a notable percentage expresses varying levels of understanding, with the majority falling in the categories of understanding many or a few current slang words Interestingly, even those who exhibit a range of comprehension, from complete understanding to grasping only a few words, still confess their worries about whether they use sland correctly For instance, the highest percentage (15.84%) worries about using slang but understands only a few words, while the lowest worry percentage (0.99%) corresponds with those who barely grasp the meaning of slang words This suggests an interplay between students' apprehensions about slang usage and their actual comprehension, hinting at a potential inverse relationship where increased worry may correlate with a lesser understanding of current slang words.Comparatively, students who do not worry about using slang ("No") also exhibit diverse levels of understanding A significant portion claims “complete understand many slang words” (12.87%) or “understand many slang
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25 words” (8.91%), indicating a certain level of confidence in their grasp of slang Students in this group generally express higher confidence levels, with no reported worries of barely grasping the meaning of today's slang words
The coexistence of worries about slang usage alongside varying levels of comprehension underscores the intricate nature of students' engagement with slang It indicates that even those who possess a reasonable understanding may harbor reservations, emphasizing the need for nuanced approaches in language learning programs to address both comprehension and confidence in using slang effectively
Students have various ways to learn new slang words The sources of slang acquisitions are presented in table 4.3 below:
Table 4.3 Sources of Slang Acquisitions
No Sources N Percent Percent of
According to the data from table 4.1, there are 340 responses in total Among them, 89 individuals chose "social media" as their source of slang exposure This group constitutes the highest number, accounting for 26.2% of the total responses Following this, the second most common source of slang learning is "movies" with 61 selections, making up 17.9% "TV series" and learning slang from friends also received
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27 considerable attention, with 57 and 54 alternatives, representing 16.8% and 15.9% respectively There were 49 choices for "popular songs" as a source of slang learning, accounting for 14.4% The lesser popular choices for sources of learning slang were
"books" and "comics" with only 10 and 15 selections, respectively Very few individuals selected "family" as a source of slang acquisition, with only 5 choices, making up the smallest percentage at 1.5% As this was a multiple-choice question, one person could select multiple sources of slang exposure Through data analysis, it can be observed that social media has the highest number of selections, aligning with the current trend of increased internet usage In a previous study dating back to 2014, researchers found that students primarily learned slang from movies Although "movies" remains a popular choice among students, it has now dropped to the second position in this survey
Learning slang from friends, TV shows, and popular songs also proved to be common sources
As stated in the data from previous question, most of the students learned slang words from social media The platforms in which they use to acquire slang are presented in the chart below:
INTRODUCTION
Rationale of the Study
William Hatson, an etiquette expert, believes that the language one uses in his daily communication can disclose his social class [3] Many researchers claim a person of the upper class has the tendency to use obscure or specialized vocabulary while a person of the working class might use more informal and simple terms In addition, high- class people are said to abide by the grammatical rules more than lower-class people, who have a propensity for using more shortened and non-standard sentence structures
However, it is important to note that the mentioned statement is not thoroughly accurate since language usage is complex and can be affected by numerous factors: education, exposure, and individual choices to name a few
In the modern age, with the massive influence of social media, popular culture, and the Internet, language usage has changed rapidly as slang has become more prevalent across all classes Slang, which refers to informal, abnormal words or phrases that have a limited lifespan and may fall out as quickly as they are adopted, is once thought to be used only in specific social groups, subcultures, or communities Now, while there might still be certain variations of slang being used by different social classes and ages, the borderline has actually become more and more vague
This study aims to discover the use of English slang words among a specific social group: college students By examining the ubiquitousness, patterns, and social dynamics of slang utilization, this research seeks to contribute to the comprehension of how slang functions within the linguistic repertoire of English majors at Thang Long
2 University Moreover, this research wants to point out the possible effects of slang on language learning in the language student community.
Research Objectives
While slang is an indispensable part of human life, the effect this form of language has on learning context, especially language learning, often does not receive much attention albeit the main users of slang are school-aged students It is believed that slang is too unserious for a research article; however, with the popularity English slang words are gaining lately with the growing of social media and the Internet, the author is positive that sooner or later the influence of slang in language learning will be palpable
Taking that into consideration, the research set up three main objectives First, the study aims to survey the frequency with which Thang Long English majors use English slang in their everyday conversation Second, the study will examine the sociolinguistic dynamics in the students’ community to understand more about their linguistic choices in different social situations or contexts Third, the study will provide insights into students’ own perception of the impact of slang words on language proficiency among English learners as well as the influence of slang in their language acquisition and academic speaking skills.
Research Questions
This study poses three research questions in accordance with the three research objectives
1) How often do students of the English Department at Thang Long University use slang in their daily communication?
2) What are the reasons for the usage of English slang words?
3) How do the English majors at Thang Long University think English slang will affect their English skills?
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Scope of the Study
The research subjects are one hundred and one students majoring in English at Thang Long University The reasons for choosing college students are owing to their young, vibrant nature College students are likely to catch up with words that are on trend among young people, but they are also mature enough to evaluate their use of slang through more objective views.
Significance of the Study
Throughout the history of language, colloquial such as slang are often frowned upon by researchers, scholars, and professional educators due to their unacademic nature
To date, there have been few research articles on the use of slang, especially in pedagogical settings Nonetheless, slang still existed and has been growing even stronger ever since the booming of the Internet and the widespread of popular culture through social media The main users of slang, amusing enough, mostly come from scholastic environments: schoolchildren and college students In this study, the author wants to learn about the perspective of these people on the matter of how using English slang, hypothetically, affects their language learning The study will propose scientific data on slang usage of college students and thus contribute to the existing body of research on language variation Moreover, from the results of this research, Thang Long University shall comprehend their students’ psychology and sociolinguistic dynamics better as well as gaining a better understanding of the role of slang in a language learning context.
Organization of the study
This chapter introduces the rationale, the scope and the objectives of the study In addition, it raises important research questions and annotates the significance of the research.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Theoretical basis of slang words
Regarding the definition of slang, there were many different variations, since
“slang is difficult to locate, to explain, and to grasp as a unitary phenomenon” (Elisa Mattiello, 2008) It was also difficult to trace back to the origin of slang language, as stated by linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer He explained it was due to the fact that slang often got spoken before it got written down, much less published and added to archives Thus, there have been many different characterization of slang throughout the time Some of these definitions, however, were proven to be imprecise For example, Mattiello wrote in her research that the concept of slang had been mistakenly defined by lexicogracollphers, thinking it was bad language and colloquial She also believed that conflating slang with terms such as jargon, argot, or cant was falsified Because while jargon was used in professional environments between two people in the same profession, argot was seen as a type of secret code Slang, on the other hand, was mostly used by people to express their feelings and attitudes (Muhartoyo; Baby Samantha Wijaya, 2014) [17, 19, 28]
Recently, there have been more unified definitions of slang, especially since slang has become much more popular According to the Collins Dictionary, slang
“consists of words, expressions, and meanings that are informal and are used by people who know each other very well or who have the same interests.” Similarly, other dictionaries and websites agree with the statement, saying that slang words are informal and often used in closed community Slang is also considered to be more common used in speech than writing, and typically restricted to a particular context or group of people (David Burke, 2023) Nowadays, slang is used for writing on social networks and messaging forbye [7 – 8]
As stated in Yule's theory of the word-formation process (2004), slang had ten linguistic ways of forming words, including Coinage, Clipping, Compounding, Blending, Borrowing, Back Formation, Acronyms, Conversions, Multiple processes, Derivation (Prefix, Infix, Suffix) In another study, Allan and Burridge (2006) said there were only five different slang types, which were Imitative, Clipping, Compounding, Acronym, and Fresh and Creative However, among those kinds of slang, the author only focused on three types of slang words that were used mostly by teenagers and adolescents in their daily communication Those were blending, acronyms, and clipping
“Blending is a way of forming new lexical units by putting together parts of existing words” (Natalia Beliaeva, 2022) [5] These words are often created to describe a new novelty or circumstance that combines the definitions or traits of two existing things There are two morphotactically ways to make a blended word: total and partial
In total blends, portions of two other words are combined to form a whole new word
For example, when “breakfast” and “lunch” are blended, it will result in “brunch” - a slang that stands for “the meals that are eaten between breakfast and lunch, usually at ten o’clock in the morning” A splinter of one word can also replace part of another to create a new word, for example, the word “chortle” are made by “chuckle” and “snort”
In partial blends, a full word is joined with a splinter to make a new word For instance,
“dumb” and “confound” are forged to create “dumbfound” – a word used to express the feeling that is so shocking that one is not able to speak
An acronym is “an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word.” (Cambridge Dictionary) [9] Some of the common slang words like that are: OMG (Oh My God), ASAP (As Soon As Possible), btw (by the way), anw (anyway), LOL (Laugh Out Loud), brb (be right back), wyd (what are you doing?), fyi (for your information), tbh (to be honest), ikr (i know right), etc
These slang words are more generally used in texting context than in speaking
In the field of morphology, clipping refers to the creation of a new word by removing one or more syllables from a polysyllabic word (Richard Nordquist, 2020)
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7 [20] People tend to use this kind of word in songs, informal speech, and texting One example that can be mentioned is “sci-fi”, which is the shortened form of the word
“science fiction”, “sitcom” for “situation comedy”, and “hippo” for “hippopotamus”
Young people often lead the trend in creating new slang words, but more often than not, they also learn these words from various sources Historically, the youth would acquire slang words through platforms such as songs, movies, TV series, TV shows, or even from the environment around them
Songs are one of the factors that influence the young to use English slang words since music is the easiest and most efficient way to affect the masses As noted by Riris Siahaan, Herman, and Christian Neni Purba (2021), slang in song lyrics was also a form of communication By the same token, Nuraida and Abd Halim (2023) believed that the song’s lyrics should carry the emotion to the listener, hence songwriters often used slang words in their songs to convey the content or meaning of the songs [23, 29] Some of the examples used in songs are lyrics from the song “That’s What I Like”:
I'm talkin' trips to Puerto Rico (BiH) Say the word and we go (say it) You can be my freaka (brr) Girl, I'll be your fleeko, mamacita I will never make a promise that I can't keep
I promise that your smile ain't gon' never leave (That’s What I Like - Bruno Mars)
In this verse, Bruno Mars used many slang words to express his thoughts The first word “Talkin” in this context meant talking, but not just talking in general “Talking” here was used when two people are trying to get to know each other so they can become girlfriend and boyfriend
In the sentence “You can be my freaka”, freaka meant big brother who was the best in the world
8 In the sentence “I promise that your smile ain’t gon’ never leave”, “ain’t” indicated
“is not”, “are not”, “am not”, “do not” or “does not” This word sprung from the Southern States of America but has now been used in many places around the world
The use of “ain’t” was phenomenal in the 18th century, typically as a contraction for am not It is still thoroughly normal in many dialects and informal speech in Britain and North America
TV programs and movies are two other sources of English slang word acquisition besides music For example, the word “Meh” from “The Simpsons” is a term to show indifference toward something insignificant or unimpressive “Gaslight” is a popular buzzword in the last decade, but its origin can be traced back to 1938 with the thriller play “Gas Light” Most recently, the phrase “canon-event” appeared in the movie
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and thereafter became a trendy phrase all over the Internet
Obvious as it is, slang words can be acquired from the social network of the speakers, from words that people say so often that those words are also embedded into the listeners’ minds, to the words that only occur in one social group but not in the other
METHODOLOGY
Research Process
The study focuses on assessing the frequency of English slang usage and the impact of slang on English students’ language learning The research was conducted by surveying Thang Long University’s English students' opinions on the matter The process of the research is presented in the figure 3.1 below:
Build survey questionnaires Examine related and essential theories and studies Identify the topic, aims, and research questions
Collect research data Address the surveys to research subjects Process data
Draw conclusions and suggest implications
Research Methodology
The method used in this study is the quantitative research method After thoroughly examining and reviewing the academic research from previous articles and studies, the author developed a questionnaire survey to determine why Thang Long
University students use slang words, the frequency of slang usage, and its impact on students’ language learning First, the author built a draft questionnaire and later enhanced the questions based on the instructor’s comments and suggestions After publishing the questionnaire, the author collected the data from one hundred respondents
Then, all the data was checked, and the invalid ones were removed The author analyzed the descriptive statistics using SPSS version 20.0 and Excel By systematically and arithmetically illustrating the data, the study gained a more specific understanding of what students think of English slang in general.
Survey Design
A questionnaire with thirty-one questions was assigned to one hundred English students at Thang Long University According to Money et al, survey questionnaires were proven to be efficient when used as a research tool, since they allowed the researcher to reach a large group of research subjects, which was suitable for quantitative research (Hair, Babin, Money & Samuel, 2003) Survey questionnaires also help save time and money because they allow the researcher to collect a large amount of data from the respondent immediately The questionnaire used in this study was divided into three parts as follows:
Part B: Students' Personal Perspectives and Experiences in Using Slang Words in Daily Communication
Part C: Students' Opinions on The Influence of Slang on Their Language
Part A is designed with demographic questions that ask for personal information of the respondents such as gender, academic standing, and English level The
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17 information collected from this section helps the author understand the demographic characteristics of the survey participants better
Part B is designed with mandatory multiple-choice questions It helps the author learn more about students' reasons for using slang, their frequency of using slang in communication, and their sources of access to slang This section's premise is to find out what students' general attitudes toward slang are before learning about their attitudes toward slang in the academic context
Part C is designed using questions with a 5-point Likert scale The scale ranges from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree” and it requires respondents to express their level of agreement with each relevant statement Based on the answers, the author can assess the influence of slang on students’ language learning, thus providing some suggestions and comments on the matter
The questionnaire is designed via Google form The author sent the questionnaire through Gmail and in groups of students at Thang Long University on social media The author also sent the questionnaire directly to the students; however, the number of students doing the survey on paper is not many Research data was collected during the period from 13 to 26 January 2024 Th collected data were then analyzed in two ways
Half of the data will be presented through pie charts and tables comparing correlations, while the other half will be coded and analyzed using the SPSS system.
Data Processing
Before being included in the analysis, the data must undergo the following procedures:
1 Verification: Validate all responses by thoroughly reviewing and confirming the accuracy of respondents' answers
2 Data Encryption: Encrypt half of the collected data, assigning codes such as
"1" for "male", "2" for "female", and “3” for “other” in the case of gender classification Similarly, for questions assessing students' opinions, utilize codes like "1" for "Strongly disagree," "2" for "Disagree," "3" for "Not sure,"
"4" for "Agree," and "5" for "Strongly agree."
18 3 Address Illogical or Missing Answers: Edit and manage responses that are illogical or missing
4 Excel Correlation Analysis: Half of the other data undergoes further analysis using Excel to identify correlations between different variables This step allows for a more granular understanding of relationships within the dataset, providing valuable insights for subsequent stages of the analysis
5 Data Transformation: Convert the original data into a new format suitable for further analysis This step occurs after completing all data collection and processing stages.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Demographic Information
The gender characteristics of the survey sample are presented in chart 4.1 below:
From the chart, it can be seen that the majority of students participating in the survey are female students, accounting for 57.4% of the total, equivalent to 58 out of 101 students The number of male students accounted for 36.6% of the total, equivalent to 37 out of 101 students The smallest number were those of other genders, with 5.9% of the students, equivalent to 6 out of 101 responses
The academic standing of the students who participated in this survey are presented in chart 4.2 below:
The chart provides the proportion of the academic levels of the students taking part in the survey, including freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior The number of final year students participating in the survey is the largest, with 61 out of 101 respondents, accounting for 60.4% The second largest number is third year students with 31 participants, taking up 30.7% of the total students Second year students who participate in the survey is 6 out of 101 students, accounting for 5.9% The smallest number came from first year students, with only 3 people (3%)
The self – evaluated English levels of the participants are presented in chart 4.3 below:
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Chart 4.3 Student’s Self – Evaluated English Levels
Four levels of English are illustrated in the pie chart: A2, B1, B2, C1-C2 As observed in the chart, the number of students who evaluated themselves with English proficiency level B2 accounts for the largest proportion (42.6%), which means that out of 101 students, there are 43 students deemed to reach this level Next was the group of students who assessed themselves with C1 – C2 level, with 35 out of 101 students, constituting 34.7% There is 17.8% of students consider themselves to reach level B1 (18 students) The group of students who say they are at level A2 has the lowest rate, with only 5% of the total number of students.
Students’ Perspectives and Experiences in Using Slang Words in Daily
Table 4.1 The relationship between student’s attitude of slang and their frequency of slang usage
Never Rarely Some Most Every
The presented frequency distribution table offers a comprehensive overview of the varying levels of slang use according to different attitudes among the surveyed participants Firstly, looking at the negative attitude category, it is notable that none of the respondents reported never or consistently using slang, but a small percentage (0.99%) implied rare usage This suggests a dislikeness or limited engagement with slang among individuals holding a negative attitude Moving to the neutral attitude category, there is an interesting progression in their use of slang None of the participants claimed to never use slang, and 9.9% reported rarely using it However, 25.74% respondents said they used slang words "Some" of the time, 5.94% reported using it
"Most" of the time, and 1.98% used slang "Every" time This result suggests a broader acceptance and integration of slang into communication among those with a neutral attitude Lastly, in the positive attitude category, the absence of respondents reporting never using slang is remarkable The data reveals a varying of usage, with 14.85% using it "In some conversations”, 27.72% using it "In most conversations", and 9.9% using it
"In every conversation” Through this, it is noticable that people with postive attitude tend to accept and include slang words in their conversations more than those with negative and neutral attitude The table, therefore, paints a detailed picture of how attitudes influence the frequency of slang usage, illustrating the complexity of language dynamics and the diverse ways individuals engage with slang in their daily communication
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4.2.2 Student’s Worries About Slang Usage and Their Understanding of Slang Words
Language varies constantly, with new definitions for new words every day
Therefore, students may not completely understand all the slang words they used The author asked students at Thang Long University if they ever had to worry about using slang incorrectly, and whether they understand the current slang words The data is presented in the chart below:
Chart 4.4 Student’s Understanding of Current Slang
According to the data in the chart, a substantial 22.8% of students assert they understand the meaning of many current slang words, while an additional 22.8% said they can comprehend the meaning of a few This suggests a combined total of 46 out of 101 possess a commendable understanding of English slang Diving deeper into the nuances, 17.8% express complete confidence in understanding many current slang words, and 8.9% claim to have a good grasp of the meanings of many slang terms, summing up to 27 students with a strong knowledge of slang language However, a noteworthy aspect emerges when exploring the worries associated with using slang The data is shown in the table below
Table 4.2 The relationship between student’s worries about slang usage and their understanding of slang words
Worries about using slang correctly
Completely understand the meaning of many current slang words
Quite understand the meaning of many current slang words
Understand the meaning of many current slang words
Completely understand the meaning of a few current slang words
Understand the meaning of a few current slang words
Quite understand the meaning of a few current slang words
Barely grasp the meaning of today slang words
The detailed examination of the frequency distribution table illuminates the interconnected dynamics between students' concerns about using slang correctly and their comprehension of current slang words at Thang Long University According to the table, there is a remarkable percentage of respondents express worries about using slang, ranging from completely understanding to barely grasping the meaning of various slang words Among students who worry about using slang correctly ("Yes"), a notable percentage expresses varying levels of understanding, with the majority falling in the categories of understanding many or a few current slang words Interestingly, even those who exhibit a range of comprehension, from complete understanding to grasping only a few words, still confess their worries about whether they use sland correctly For instance, the highest percentage (15.84%) worries about using slang but understands only a few words, while the lowest worry percentage (0.99%) corresponds with those who barely grasp the meaning of slang words This suggests an interplay between students' apprehensions about slang usage and their actual comprehension, hinting at a potential inverse relationship where increased worry may correlate with a lesser understanding of current slang words.Comparatively, students who do not worry about using slang ("No") also exhibit diverse levels of understanding A significant portion claims “complete understand many slang words” (12.87%) or “understand many slang
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25 words” (8.91%), indicating a certain level of confidence in their grasp of slang Students in this group generally express higher confidence levels, with no reported worries of barely grasping the meaning of today's slang words
The coexistence of worries about slang usage alongside varying levels of comprehension underscores the intricate nature of students' engagement with slang It indicates that even those who possess a reasonable understanding may harbor reservations, emphasizing the need for nuanced approaches in language learning programs to address both comprehension and confidence in using slang effectively
Students have various ways to learn new slang words The sources of slang acquisitions are presented in table 4.3 below:
Table 4.3 Sources of Slang Acquisitions
No Sources N Percent Percent of
According to the data from table 4.1, there are 340 responses in total Among them, 89 individuals chose "social media" as their source of slang exposure This group constitutes the highest number, accounting for 26.2% of the total responses Following this, the second most common source of slang learning is "movies" with 61 selections, making up 17.9% "TV series" and learning slang from friends also received
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27 considerable attention, with 57 and 54 alternatives, representing 16.8% and 15.9% respectively There were 49 choices for "popular songs" as a source of slang learning, accounting for 14.4% The lesser popular choices for sources of learning slang were
"books" and "comics" with only 10 and 15 selections, respectively Very few individuals selected "family" as a source of slang acquisition, with only 5 choices, making up the smallest percentage at 1.5% As this was a multiple-choice question, one person could select multiple sources of slang exposure Through data analysis, it can be observed that social media has the highest number of selections, aligning with the current trend of increased internet usage In a previous study dating back to 2014, researchers found that students primarily learned slang from movies Although "movies" remains a popular choice among students, it has now dropped to the second position in this survey
Learning slang from friends, TV shows, and popular songs also proved to be common sources
As stated in the data from previous question, most of the students learned slang words from social media The platforms in which they use to acquire slang are presented in the chart below:
28 As observed in the pie chart, the most used platform to acquire new slang words is Facebook with 43.6%, and the second is TikTok with 34.7% For other countries, TikTok might be the fastest and most convenient source for accessing slang words, but for Vietnamese students, especially Thang Long students, Facebook is still the more popular choice As for other platforms, 14.9% of respondents chose Instagram as the platform in which they learned the most slang words, then came X with 5% The least used platform is Thread, with only 1% of users Another 1% are students who chose other platforms (Reddit) There is no answer for “Tumblr”, proving that this platform is not well-known in Viet Nam
4.2.5 When to use slang language
Students use slang in differents situations Table 4.4 below illustrated the time when students use slang:
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Table 4.4 When to use slang language
No Situations N Percent Percent of
For the question "When do you mainly use slang words?" there were a total of 255 responses According to table 4.2, the most popular choice among students is "chatting" with 75 selections, constituting 29.4% The second most common choice is "texting" with 71 selections, representing 27.8% of the total responses It is somewhat surprising
30 that while people learn slang most from social media, the number of choices for "using social media" is not as high as "chatting" and "texting." However, it still ranks as the third most popular choice, with 62 selections, making up 24.3% There are 25 selections for "calling" (9.8%) and 12 selections for "learning languages" (4.7%) The least popular options are "writing" and "working in a professional setting" with 5 and 4 choices, respectively Only 0.4% chose "other" for this question In addition, while the total number of instances (255) exceeds the total number of cases (252.5%), indicating multiple occurrences per case, the percentages of instances relative to the total cases are slightly lower, suggesting some overlap or repetition within the situations reported Thus, it can be observed that people use slang the most while talking, texting, and using social media Some also use slang when learning languages, but this is less common The least use of slang occurs in a serious work environment
4.2.6 Community to use slang with
“With whom do you mostly use slang in a conversation?” is one of the important questions the survet asks participating students Responses data is shown in table 4.5 below:
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Table 4.5 Community to use slang with
No Community to use slang with
CONCLUSION
Conclusion
In conclusion, the findings obtained from the survey offer a comprehensive understanding of the usage and perception of English slang among students at Thang Long University The author also gained certain insights to explain the three research questions raised at the beginning
First,in terms of frequency, the results derived are quite different from the author's original anticipitation Despite English slang being a global phenomenon, most of Thang Long's English majors reveal that they only use slang "in some conversations." Only a portion of students include slang words frequently in "every conversation." Other students said they use slang in many conversations, though this number is not much compared to the total number of students taking the survey This result shows that slang words' integration into daily communication among Thang Long English majors is not as widespread as initially expected On the other hand, no student reports that they have never used English slang, suggesting that English slang does hold influence on language learners
Second, when examine the reasons behind the use of English slang, the author notes that the majority of participants respond that casuality in conversations with friends and humor are their primary motivations.Similar reasons like creating a friendly atmosphere and saving time in communication are also prefered by the students
However, the number of people using slang word for academic reasons, such as "to enrich the language," is not as high This trend proves that students still take slang as a means of social communication and entertainment, not a potential material for their linguistic and academic pursuit
42 Third, regarding the question of how English majors at Thang Long University think slang will affect their English skills, there have been diverse opinions on the matter
In general, most students believe that using slang has positive effects, particularly in improving their soft skills such as listening and speaking They feel that it helps them have a better understanding of Western society and culture Additionally, they agree that their social skills and pronunciation have improved after using slang With that being said, many of respondents still hold neutral opinions, and when it comes to negative impacts, opinions begin to diverge While the number of individuals disagreeing with negative influences is moderate, the standard deviation indicates that people do not have a consistent mindset on this issue Many students believe that teachers do not understand them when they use slang in class, and there are opinions that constant use of slang can reduce their academic writing abilities The use of slang in an academic context has not been extensively addressed until now, so the author understands that this topic has sparked controversy and disagreement among the surveyed students Due to limited time and budget constraints, the author can not conduct a more thorough and specific study
This is proved as one of the weaknesses of this research
In addition to the three research questions, the author also addresses other issues related to the use of slang among Thang Long University students One of these concerns is gender-related Previous research suggested that men use slang more than women
However, based on the survey results, the author can confirm that at Thang Long University, individuals identifying as female use slang almost as much as those identifying as male This implies that in modern time, as slang becomes more popular, both men and women have equal access to this language as well as the freedom to use it at will One of the limitations of the study is the lack of specific gender categories, as it only considers male, female, and "other" genders
Lastly, Thang Long University students mostly use slang with their friends and partners They have a tendency to include slang words when they text, use social media, or chat with their friends However, they do not use much slang in language learning, which one again emphasizes that Thang Long students do not view slang as a possible material for language learning The most common sources for them to learn slang are
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43 social media platforms, with Facebook and TikTok being the most widely used The type of slang used by students are abbreviations and blended words
From this survey, the author realizes that English slang has a certain influence on Thang Long University’s English students They might not use slang much in daily conversations, but most people have a positive view of slang The majority of students agree on the positive impacts of slang on learning English, such as enhancing listening, speaking, and pronunciation skills However, they still do not entirely see slang as a potential material for language learning, perhaps due to considering potential negative impacts like degenerating writing skills Another reason might be that this idea of slang being used in an education context has been less applied until now Hence, they are not familiar with it.
Limitation and Recommendations
Examining the achieved results as well as the limitations of the study, the author believes that a more thorough research on this issue could completely signify the benefits of applying slang in language learning After all, language variations are an improtant part of language learning and research In particular, slang holds multifaceted meanings when considering its cultural and social aspects It can be a fresh perspective and a different approach to social research This study uses quantitative research methods and collects students' opinions through surveys, combined with using references from other research theories Therefore, the author suggests that if a study utilizes experimental research methods to investigate the impact of slang on learning from slang, researchers would have more control over confounding variables The author also recommends that teachers pay attention to the findings of this study, for they perhaps would consider including slang in their lectures in the future
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Language Learners, Journal, Ohio TESOL Journal
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Currently, I amsurveying for my graduation thesis with the topic “A study on the use of English slang words in daily communication among students of the English Department at Thang Long University” My research focuses on finding out howoften students of the English Department at Thang Long University use slang in their daily communication and how they think English slang will affect their speaking skills I would appreciate it if you could spare a moment and help me answer the survey questions below I promise that all information you provide will be used for research purposes only and will be kept strictly confidential
If you have any questions or do not understand something, you can contact us directly through the following information:
Thai Phan Hoang Thao – Thang Long University Phone number: 0397605132
Before starting the survey, I would like to introduce to you some key information as follows:
The survey will consist of 3 parts:
Part B: Students' personal perspectives and experiences in using slang words in daily communication
Part C: Students’ opinions on the influence of slang on their language learning
In this section, please select only ONE option for each question and please answer all the questions in this section
1 What gender do you identify as?
☐ Other 2 What is your academic class standing?
☐ Senior 3 What is your level of English?
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PART B: STUDENTS' PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES IN USING SLANG WORDS IN DAILY COMMUNICATION
In this section, please choose ONE option for each question that represents your opinion on the issue raised There will be questions in which you can choose multiple options
1 What is your attitude toward slang words?
☐ Positive 2 How often do you use slang words?
☐ Never 3 Have you ever worried about using slang incorrectly?
☐ No 4 How well do you think you understand the meaning of today slang words?
☐ I completely understand the meaning of many current slang words
☐ I completely understand the meaning of a few current slang words
☐ I understand the meaning of many current slang words
☐ I understand the meaning of a few current slang words
☐ I quite understand the meaning of many current slang words
☐ I quite understand the meaning of a few current slang words
☐ I barely grasp the meaning of today slang words
☐ I do not understand the meaning of today slang words 5 How did you pick up new slang words? (You can choose many options)
☐ Other (You can write your answer here: _) 6 If you learned new slang words through social media, please chose ONE platform from which you acquired most of those words
☐ Other (You can write your answer here: _) 7 When do you mainly use slang words? (You can choose many options)
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☐ Other (You can write your answer here: _) 8 With whom do you mostly use slang in a conversation? (You can choose many options)
☐ Bosses 9 Choose the reason why you use slang in daily conversations (You can choose many options):
☐ To induce friendliness or intimacy
☐ To soften the tragedy and reduce the solemnity
☐ To be brief and concise
☐ To pull a joke and make other people laugh
☐ To have fun chatting with friend
☐ To insult and look down at an inferior
☐ To show that you belong to a certain group
☐ Other (You can write your answer here: _) 10 Name THREE slang words/phrases that you mostly use:
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PART C: STUDENTS' OPINIONS ON THE INFLUENCE OF SLANG ON THEIR LANGUAGE LEARNING
In this section, please choose ONE answer that represents your opinion on the issue raised:
3 Not Sure 4 Agree 5 Strongly Agree
I improve my listening skills when listen to daily conversations that slang words are spoken
I can speak more naturally and native-like in a conversation when using slang words
My vocabulary bank is widen with slang words
My pronunciation and intonation are improved
I understand more about language morphology
I understand more about Western’s culture
I understand more about Western’s history
I understand more about Western’s society
I am updated on new cultural and linguistic trends
My connections and relationships with my classmates are enhanced when I use popular slang words with them
My social skills are improved when using slang.