Slang and Education

Conclusion:
My conclusion is based on all the information I looked up during my research. The media and articles which are published on my website helped my to form an opinion about slang and education. Please read the articles and watch the media clips before reading my conclusion. And again feel free to comment on my conclusion: it is an interesting topic to discuss!

Should we Ban Slang From our Classrooms?

(Source: article "Mind your Slanguage" by Vanessa Barford BBC news)
 


Is the use of slang sabotaging the English language?
Teachers in English school are warning the public that the use of slang is causing damage to the English language. Pr. Paul Kerswill says an entirely new dialect is emerging. He refers to it as "multicultural English" and says that it is the new ordinary way of speaking for many young people. And those who use it lose any sense of "appropriacy"- the important skill of turning it on and off in different situations. There are a number of English schools that forbid students to use slang inside the school. Students are forced the use appropriate language inside the school gates.

"slang has always been part of Britain's rich and diverse language"
Every generation has it's own slang. In the '70 things were "groovy", during the 80's thing were "radical" and in the 90's things were "the bomb". Different groups and different expressions. Slang has always been around and it is changing constantly. But what has changed in the use of slang?
Why are teachers worried about the consequences of the use of it? Pr. Kerswill claims that slang has not become more prevalent, simple more public. It is literally everywhere. Slang has been liberated. The use of slang has infiltrated into the whole group of teenagers instead of smaller groups. It is used in the media, in TV soaps, lyrics and spread even more through the use of social media. This has caused the migration from "in group" slang to mainstream slang.

"All groups - it doesn't matter whether they are soldiers, policeman, criminals or whatever - always generate to some extent their own language. It's not just to communicate information, it's in order to include people into your group and exclude people out of your group."
Every person has the need to belong to a group. This is the reason why people use slang. Are teachers and schools right to be worried about the use of slang amongst teenagers?  Is banning the use of slang inside schools the right thing to do?


"I see slang like martial arts. So long as you have strong foundations, you are free to improvise."
After doing research to find out what slang is, I began to develop a sympathy for the use of it. We all used slang in our lives, and even when we are grown up, we still do. The problem with modern day social slang is that it has migrated into mainstream usage. Teenagers don't know when they have to stop to use it. In my opinion a school is a place where we learn young people to become more responsible for their future. Banning slang from schools will make slang even more interesting. It is better to learn teenagers what slang is, and when it is appropriate to use it. Teachers should use slang in classes to create interest in students. It is important for a teacher to know how to communicate with his students. Creating awareness about slang amongst teenagers is better than to keep slang from excisting at schools. I like the sentence above this paragraph: School should provide the strong foundation in language, and give young people the freedom to improvise on it.