Talk about English - Politics, language and slang pt.2
текст песни

Jackie: You're listening to Talk About English. I'm Jackie Dalton.

Callum: I'm Callum Robertson, and our guests today are Stephen Fox,
international law specialist and language learner Juliette Perreard.

Jackie: Let's hear now another phrase that is traditionally very informal, but
was said by John Boulton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
in a recent interview. What's the phrase he uses?

John Boulton
Presenter: What do you say to those people who say that if President Bush hadn't
spoken of the axis of evil, including North Korea in that list, North
Korea may not have felt pushed into wanting to show its might
John Bolton: I'd say 'get a life'

Jackie: 'Get a life!' – has anyone ever told you to get a life Callum?

Callum: (responds)

Jackie: Well that's one bit of slang that we asked one of the world's leading
authorities on the English language to explain. Here's Professor David
Crystal.

David Crystal - Get A Life
This familiar old noun ‘life’, now used widely in the phrase ‘get a life!’, usually in a
derogatory tone of voice like that – ‘Get a life, why don’t you!’ Well, it’s said to
somebody who the speaker feels is leading an unfulfilling existence, your life is
empty, dull, there’s more to life than what you’re doing, start living!
It can be serious, but it’s usually jocular. It can be used for instance to a workaholic,
or for anybody obsessed with something like a television programme, always
watching a particular soap, shall we say. That person might be told to ‘get a life’.
The phrase goes back a couple of decades. It was US slang in California, years and
years ago, and then it became the name of a US television show. And then it became
all sorts of usages around radio, television, novels, short stories – don’t take things too
seriously! Chill out! Get a life! It happens to the best of us … people who pity my
obsession with linguistics, often tell me to ‘get a life’!

Jackie: There was another phrase that Professor Crystal mentioned there. He
said 'Chill out!' Juliette, do you know what that means?

Juliette: (responds)

Jackie: Let's hear one more bit of slang that's come from the lips of a high-
profile public figure lately and that's the writer, Salman Rushdie.

Callum: Salman Rusdie was talking about comments made by an important
government leader, Jack Straw on the veil – worn by some Muslim
women.

Jackie: So what's the slang expression Rushdie uses here?

Rushdie
He was expressing an important opinion, which is that veils suck, which they do.

All: (discuss)

Jackie: Well we've been asking the British public what they make of all this
slang use. Let's have a listen.

Slang_and politicians
Man 1: I would say it’s a shame, but I don’t think it’s very important, to be
perfectly honest, so long as they get their sense across – maybe using
slang expressions is a way of doing it.

Woman: Personally I prefer good English, but then I’m a bit older!

Man 2: I think it’s false. They’re trying to appeal to the younger person….
And I don’t think it fools anybody, to be honest with you.

William: Do you think in general people use slang too much?

Man 1: Well, part of me says ‘yes’, and part of me says ‘If it’s a means of
getting a sense of something across in a more rumbustious way, then
perhaps it’s alright’.

Man 3: (It) completely depends on the context in which you use the
language…. er… but it seems to be generally yeah, a lot of slang
around. But that’s better than too much formality.

Man 2: (It) depends what level you work at – if you’re a politician, no I think
you should keep a certain level of speaking. Why speak slang?
Probably a lot of the older generation don’t understand slang, because
it’s changed as well now.

Man 4: At certain times, yeah it’s alright, yeah – normal conversation, that’s
fine. But for a politician to be on a main platform to use slang? – I
think that’s not right.

All: (discuss)

Gons, Spain
Politicians from the point of view that they are talking to public in general, including
children, should be careful with the language they use. They are, in some way,
educators. They are making laws and have the power, so they have to be respectful. It
is very annoying to hear politicians talking slang.

Jose Chu, China
Slang can make the conversations become more interesting and accessible. I think it is
acceptable that the politicians use slang occasionally but not often. This probably can
raise their status because he or she uses slang just like many of us do everyday.

Callum: So we've heard a mix of views there, but I think from that we can reach
the general conclusion that many people think it depends very much on
the context – the particular situation you're in.

Jackie: But I have to say there are some slang words that I find especially
annoying and hate hearing whatever the context. E.g. 'get real' – used
to tell someone they're being unreasonable or a bit silly.

All: (Discuss)

Hee-seong, South Korea
I watch the famous "Jamie Oliver's Kitchen" programme on our food/cooking channel,
which is a lot of fun. He sometimes says, "Gordon Bennett!" or "Bob's your uncle,

mate!" while he is cooking or when everything is perfectly done. Those expressions
bring me a big smile. Similarly, "Jolly good!" seems to be quite uniquely British. I
sometimes use it for fun when talking with British people here in Korea.

Eunjung, South Korea
My favourite slang in English is 'blimey'.