The Advantages and Disadvantages of Slang

Secret Weapons of Language Acquisition

Welcome, aspiring polyglot! One of the most useful tools in your belt when you start acquiring a new language is shortened language, or slang. The truth is, much of the conversation you will end up having day to day involves slang and learning what these words are and how/when to use them will set you up for success in your journey.

However, while the advantages are clear, there are also disadvantages making this a focus as you begin. It is always worth picking up, but let's discuss a couple ways to ensure those disadvantages are not too great a hindrance.

The Advantages

Before we get into the disadvantages, let's focus on all of the positive aspects that come with learning the local slang wherever you are at (or wherever you want to be). The best thing that comes with it is being able to understand portions of every familiar conversation.

Any time you are playing a sport, out for a drink, out in nature, you can use colloquial terms and slang to communicate with people even if you aren't able to communicate in complete sentences. The most important thing is that you start; even if that means only speaking 2 or 3 words at a time to get moving.

Since slang is regional and used so broadly it is something that is highly beneficial to the new learner as the people teaching you the slang will, generally, be the most forgiving of your early mistakes. Teaching foreigners slang is one of my favorite things to do and it is quite the bonding experience.

Whatever you do, though, if a guy teaches you a sentence and says, “Go to that girl and say this” don’t do it. Or do. Like I said, people are extremely forgiving and, as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously, they won’t either and everyone will have a good time. 

These are things you will be saying day in and day out and they can make locals comfortable around you. Integration will be key for you in your language acquisition, assuming you're blessed enough to be immersed, but even if you aren't, try and find out what the regional slang would be for your target language. It is worth the exercise. Imagine going into the local carnicería and ripping some Spanish slang in the butcher’s native language, ideally from their region. Talk about making friends!

Picking up and using any of the language will give you more and more confidence. Collect those small Ws and let it snowball until you cannot be stopped. Once you are confident with one word you can try two. After two you can jump to three or maybe four or five.

When I was learning French, I maxed at like 10 words for the first month.

"ça va?"

"Oui, ça va, et toi?"

"Oui ça va bien"

When I was learning German, I started with only 1 but I said it to EVERYONE.

"Moin"

That was my word of choice for an entire month, it's actually pretty useful. But for the most part that's only true in north Germany. This is where the first asterisk should be mentioned.

Location Specific Slang

Much of the slang in the world is not specific to language, but to region. It is not even safe to categorize the slang by country and because of that I am certain I barely know 1% of the slang in the languages I speak. That's okay, because while slang changes, the words that are being changed do not. This is another pattern to which it is worth paying attention.

For example, there is a word for "dude" in just about every language and several iterations of it at that. Some examples:

French: Mec, gros, grand, pote, fdp

Spanish: Mae, wey/guey, pendejo

German: Junge, digga, alter

And so on and so on.

The faster you recognize the patterns across languages the sooner you will be able to pinpoint which slang you should dedicate some time to practicing. However, you should be dedicating just as much time to the other side of things.

The Disadvantages

Formality outside of the English language can be something that is difficult to grasp. Yes, we use formal language, but we do not have formal conjugations and this can reveal a rift between cultures when attempting to integrate into an immersion environment. This is one of the primary disadvantages of focusing on slang when you are getting started, but it is rather easy to mitigate the negative effects.

Here is how to get it done:

1. For every new slang word you learn, practice the formal expression as well. If you know how to say "I don't care" in a familiar way, it is worth knowing how to say it in a formal way.

2. Use the opportunity to break the ice with new people by asking them what a certain word means and how it can be used in other ways. It is also good to ask when the word is inappropriate to use and what good replacements would be. You don't have to do it all on your own.

3. Make sure you are using regional appropriate slang. You don't want to be the guy using the slang from Mexico in Chile or the tourist using Belgian slang in Paris. Pay attention to the patterns and recognize which words tend to get turned into slang, this will stay true across nearly every language and so you can use what you know to make critical inferences. Yes, people will be open and willing to explain things to you, but them not having to will make you stand out.

You don't want to end up insulting someone because you don't understand where or when to use a certain tone or level of formality. Don't be the ignorant tourist, it is not a good look. I know you are better than that. You know you are better than that. So be what we both know you can be.

The Worst Case

Now, in case what I just mentioned frightens you, let me share some of the worst case scenarios with you, they aren’t as bad as you might think.

I have said some horrible things to the people who have hosted me, taught me, and befriended me in countries around the world. Never once was it intentional, some things just do not come across right when translated. So long as you are intentional in your speech and you mean well, people will, for the most part, be gracious with you.

There are grumpy people everywhere, it has nothing to do with you. Making a slight linguistic mistake will never ruin someone's day so much they need to lash out at you. However, if that happens try to let it roll off and do your best not to take it personally.

When I was living in Belgium I was taking supplemental night classes to accelerate my language acquisition. During one of these classes we were discussing animals and the sounds they make (fun fact: animals make different noises in different languages). The teacher asked us which animal made the "quack quack" noise, of course, this is the same.

Now, the French word for duck is disgustingly similar to the worst curse word in French which I proceeded to shout to the entire class unaware of what I had just said. I had to ask my host mom what it meant and that was an…interesting conversation.

However, nothing really changed. I went back to class the next session and everything was normal. My classmates knew it was an honest mistake and something we could joke about, my professor knew it was an honest mistake and a good learning opportunity, and my host family thought it was hilarious.

In my mind, that's the absolute worst case scenario one could face when trying to get comfortable speaking a second language. I committed the cardinal sin before it was a meme on every media platform and told my host family I was horny to meet them when I lived in Costa Rica. I went back a year ago and they greeted me with open arms as if I had never left. I hadn't seen them in five years.

If these things happened to me and they led to the bonds I now share with these people I am happy for the mistakes and the miscommunications. Overcoming linguistic barriers taught me more about communication than a university degree ever could. It is good to make mistakes. People are gracious, more than you think, and certainly more than you are with yourself.

Conclusion

You are going to make mistakes, getting the formalities mixed up can and will lead to awkward situations. However, these will only be awkward if you let them. Laugh it off, ask for help, be open with them about your experience with the language. Native speakers love to share things about their language and just by asking and being willing to be wrong, and mocked occasionally, you will learn more than a classroom could ever teach you.

In the end, there is no comprehensive guide, no tips or tricks to carry anyone across the finish line. Language acquisition requires time, effort, and consistency. That said, it is something that anyone of any age is more than capable of accomplishing. 

For more content find me on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to seeing everyone’s progress in the months and years to come.