Page 81 - 6806

Consequently, the choice of words is determined not only by an
informal (or formal) situation, but also by the speaker’s
educational and cultural background, age group, and his
occupational regional characteristics. Informal words and word-
groups are traditionally divided into three types: colloquial, slang
and dialect words and word-groups.
Among other informal words, colloquialisms are the least
exclusive: they are used by everybody, and their sphere of
communication is comparatively wide, at least of literary
colloquial words. These are informal words that are used in
everyday speech both by cultivated and uneducated people of all
age groups. The sphere of communication of literary colloquial
words also includes the printed page, which shows that the term
colloquial is somewhat inaccurate. Examples: Pal and chum are
colloquial of friend; girl, when used colloquially, denotes a
woman of any age; bite and snack stand for meal; hi, hello are
informal greetings, and so long a form of parting; to have a crush
on somebody is equivalent of to be in love. A bit (of) and a lot (of)
also belong to this group, A considerable number of shortenings
arc found among words of this type: pram, exam, flu, prop, zip,
movie.
Literary colloquial words are to be distinguished from
familiar colloquial and low colloquial. The borderline between
the literary and familiar colloquial is not always clearly marked.
Yet the circle of speakers using familiar colloquial is more limited:
these words are used mostly by the young and the semi-educated.
This vocabulary group closely verges on slang and has something
of its coarse flavour: doc (for doctor), hi (for how do you do), ta-ta
for good-bye), goings-on (for behaviour, usually with a negative
connotation), to kid (to tease, banter), to pick up smb. (for make a
quick and easy acquaintance), Low colloquial is defined by G. P.
Krapp as uses characteristic of the speech of persons who may be
broadly described as uncultivated. It is very difficult to find hard
and fast rules that help to establish the boundary between low

81