Word-building power of youth slang in contemporary English: A lexicological perspective

Abstract

This work aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of youth slang, focusing on its semantic and lexicological aspects, as well as its place in the English language word-stock. Through the examination of different types of slang and their formation, it became clear that slang is ambiguous due to its structure and origin, as it not only comprises highly expressive words, but also comprises the language of particular social and professional groups. Numerous ways of its formation were discovered and it gave the understanding that slang employs standard word-building patterns together with those, peculiar only to slang, such as back slang and medial slang.