You probably won’t see much slang in your English exam though. So, how important is it to understand these slang words and expressions? If you watch films or television programmes in English, read magazines in English, chat online in English or are interested in English song lyrics then understanding slang can be very useful. In fact, when we think about ‘International English’, there is no such thing as a native or non-native speaker. Research shows that most of the English spoken in the world today is spoken between non-native speakers of the language. But perhaps learners don’t need to worry about communicating with native speakers so much. When British people use language like this, it’s no surprise that some students say they can’t understand native speakers. The head teacher says that if young people learn to speak ‘correctly’, it will help them get a place at university and a good job. A school in Sheffield, in the north of England, recently instructed its pupils to stop using slang words such as hiya ( hello), cheers and ta (both mean thank you). However, not everybody uses slang and not everybody likes it. It is a negative word and suggests that the young person might be a troublemaker or even a criminal. A hoodie is a young person who wears a jacket with a hood (a hood keeps your head dry in rainy Britain!).These words can describe a boy or a girl. ‘He’s fine’ or ‘She’s fit’ both mean good-looking.Whatever means I don’t care (e.g. A: ‘But the teacher says we can’t leave until we’ve finished.’ B: ‘Whatever.Instead of saying very, really or completely, you can use well (e.g. ‘I’m well tired’ or ‘You got it well wrong!’).Instead of using different tag questions like isn’t it?, can’t you? or don’t they?, people use innit (e.g. ‘It’s hot here, innit!’, ‘He can dance really well, innit!’ or ‘They always say that, innit?’).Safe, sorted, sound, cool or wicked all mean That’s good or I understand. It is not possible to make a complete list of modern British slang: by the time the list was finished, it would be out of date! New words come and go like fashions. These extremely informal words and expressions are known as ‘slang’. Young British people use lots of language that you usually can’t find in most dictionaries. Often UK singers sing in American accents without realising. Television and music also have a big impact on the language of the young. Living in a multicultural society has an effect on language, especially on young people, whose friends are often from a mix of backgrounds. The words and pronunciations used by young people in the UK can be very different to those used by adults. In many magazines, you can find another word describing this fatigue and lethargy.Language changes all the time.
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