1. science
2. social science
3. linguistics

Head Start WJEC GCSE English
The language of teenagers
What did they say?
Learning objectives
I am learning:
• what dialect and slang are and how they are used.
Activity 2 Get going with GCSE!
At GCSE …
Now it’s time to think about your own slang and dialect.
When analysing spoken language at GCSE
you will need to consider how and why
speakers’ non-standard usage of language
such as dialect and slang changes.
1 Make a list of dialect words for the area that you live.
2 You could start with dialect words for: Ugly, attractive, unhappy, angry, frightened, sad, awkward
3 Your school have been approached
Slang refers to the informal words that are used by a social group. These words
would be considered to be non-standard vocabulary. Slang changes very quickly.
Dialect refers to the words and grammar that are used in a particular area
of the country. The words and grammar of dialect would be considered to be
non-standard English.
Here are some examples of dialect and slang. Do you recognise any?
I’m wearing my
daps tomorrow.
Happen she
were unhappy.
Cool
Examples of dialect
Come on, Bob, let’s
knock a blairze on
an’ we’ll het
Sick
Examples of slang
How bisti?
Groovy
Grub
by a parents group. They have sent
you this email:
Dear Teenagers,
Start creating your dictionary of
teenage slang. You could use the
following layout:
Please help us by:
sick
(adjective) Very good.
Example: ‘The movie was so sick.’
We need your help to create a dictionary of teenage slang
so we can understand what on earth you are saying!
1 Making a list of the slang words you most often use.
2 Writing a definition showing what the word means.
3 Writing a sentence showing how you would use the word.
Best wishes,
Parents United
Activity 3 Get ahead at GCSE!
At GCSE you will need to think about why people might use informal language such as slang in some
contexts but not others.
1 Write down one context in which it might be appropriate to use this piece of slang and one in
which it would be inappropriate. For example:
It would be appropriate to say ‘The movie was so sick’ if I was describing the movie to a friend.
It might not be appropriate to use this word if I was describing the movie to an older relative
such as my gran.
Activity 1 Get ready for GCSE!
Some poets write in a particular dialect.
1 Read the extract from a poem
written in Black Country dialect.
2 You’ve been asked to translate
this poem into Standard English.
Write the extract out using
Standard English. If there are any
words in dialect that you have not
come across before guess what
they might mean.
48
Gerrit Darn Ya
My gran was allis brilliant
In everythin’ ‘er did
‘N’ ‘er ‘elped ‘t’ rear me
When I was a kid
‘Erd allis gorrer pinner on
Scrubbin’ – Weshin’ – Moppin flooers
‘N’ everywhere wuz spick ‘n’ span
When yow walked in the dooer
2 What makes the use of slang appropriate in some contexts but not others? Write a sentence or
two explaining this. For example:
The word ‘sick’ is something that my age group uses commonly, so my friend understands it.
My gran wouldn’t understand what I mean though so I would need to change my language.
Get Graded!
Look back at your answer to activity 3, question 3. How well do you think you did?
Grade
E
I showed limited
awareness of how my
use of slang changes.
Grade
D
I showed some
awareness of how my
use of slang changes.
Grade
C
I explained how my use
of slang changes.
Grade
B
I explained and
analysed how my use
of slang changes.
49