Understanding and using slangs correctly is not an easy task for English learners if we just base on their literal meanings. Language and culture are undoubtedly closely integrated and interdependent during their whole development processes. Therefore, in this article, an investigation into cultural feature of 359 English slangs containing words denoting animals was conducted to bring readers an insight. | TẠP CHÍ KHOA HỌC ĐHSP TPHCM Số 8(86) năm 2016 _ AN INVESTIGATION INTO CULTURAL FEATURES OF ENGLISH SLANGS CONTAINING WORDS DENOTING ANIMALS ĐINH QUANG TRUNG* ABSTRACT Understanding and using slangs correctly is not an easy task for English learners if we just base on their literal meanings. Language and culture are undoubtedly closely integrated and interdependent during their whole development processes. Therefore, in this article, an investigation into cultural feature of 359 English slangs containing words denoting animals was conducted to bring readers an insight. Keywords: slang, cultural features, animal. TÓM TẮT Khảo sát về tiếng lóng Anh ngữ chứa từ chỉ động vật dưới khía cạnh văn hóa Hiểu và sử dụng đúng tiếng lóng không hề dễ dàng đối với người học tiếng Anh vì hiểu nó không đơn thuần chỉ dựa vào nghĩa đen của từ ngữ. Ngôn ngữ và văn hóa có mối quan hệ khắn khít và tác động lẫn nhau. Vì thế 359 tiếng lóng Anh ngữ chứa từ chỉ động vật được khảo sát trong bài báo này nhằm đem lại cho người đọc về khía cạnh văn hóa mà chúng phản ánh. Từ khóa: tiếng lóng, văn hóa, động vật. 1. Statement of the Problem In learning and communicating process, non-native speakers of English can reach a point in their knowledge of the language where they feel comfortable with standard literary speech. They are, however, liable to get confused when they confront slangs- a linguistic modality confined to spoken language, has always been difficult to locate, to explain and to grasp as a unitary phenomenon. Slang is full of vivid reality that almost any language has, whether wanted or not. The writer Victor Hugo took notice of using slangs in his work “Le dernier Jour d'un Condamne” (1828). He even devoted his entire volume VII in the fourth section of the massive popular novel “Les Miserable” (1861) to discuss the slang. Slang is language deliberately selected for its .
