Pratique du Shadowing: Contemporary Topics 3 Unit 1 COMMUNICATION STUDIES Slang ang language change - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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114 phrases
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The first thing to say about language change is it's inevitable.
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Language is a living thing, constantly expanding, evolving, and adapting to the humans who use it.
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We see language change in all areas of language.
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Syntax, phonology, orthography, and semantics.
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For now, let's just focus on semantics and on one particular area of semantic change which always grabs people's attention.
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Slang.
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We all recognize slang, we all use slang, and we use it for a reason.
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It gives our language a special feel and says something about us.
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So, I'm going to talk a bit about what slang is, who uses it and why,
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where it comes from, and how it is received. So, what is slang?
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Here's a definition you might want to jot down.
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Now, slang is informal language which tends to be associated with particular groups of people and therefore helps define their identity.
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Slang often breeds among deprived groups or groups we think of as secretive or underground or non-conforming.
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Today though, these associations are becoming much weaker and now everyone uses slang.
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So let me home in on this idea of identity as it leads us into the question of why people use slang.
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A lot of slang comes from people not wanting to be understood by those outside their group.
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We typically think of using language in order to be understood, but another use of language is to prevent understanding.
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use exclusive or private language to give their group a distinct identity.
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With slang, people can tease one another, enjoy shared experiences, and keep everyone else at a distance.
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All cultures have groups or subcultures who want to be separate,
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and yet they want people to know who they are and what they stand for, and slang helps to construct that identity.
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We can say then that slang reflects the experiences, beliefs, and values of its speakers.
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By using the slang associated with a particular social group, you're staking a claim to membership of that group.
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Being in group denotes inclusion or acceptance because you play by the group's rules.
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Being out group is the opposite.
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It's being excluded.
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Ever notice how non-native speakers are so eager to learn slang even before they have a basic grasp of the language?
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Well, that's because it's a signal of integration, of membership.
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I speak this language.
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I belong.
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In a word, slang is cohesive.
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Now, let's look at the personal benefits of using slang.
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First, when you use slang well, you show that you're in tune with the times, that you know what is culturally in fashion, and you're part of it.
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Using slang makes you desirable.
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The second benefit of using slang that you demonstrate your mastery of the situation.
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You become an expert.
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This is because slang is only used in certain settings, and knowing how and when to use it, or when not to use it,
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gives you a kind of status.
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A third benefit of using slang is that it allows you to share social and emotional experiences, so it reinforces your relationships.
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For example, if you say to your friend, My new sound system is really safe.
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You're saying more than just, it's very good.
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Your use of slang equates sharing an emotional experience.
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And a fourth benefit of using slang is, it's fun.
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It's often humorous and very creative, like poetry.
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The semanticist S.I.
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Hayakawa actually described slang as the poetry of everyday life.
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In other words, slang is also a form of play or entertainment.
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So, what are the major inspirations for slang?
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Well, there are a few that never seem to go out of fashion.
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I'm talking about love and romance.
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It's also used for emotional expressions of like and dislike, and you can probably think of dozens of them.
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These particular slang terms seem to have a pretty short life.
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They're being replaced by newer words and phrases all the time.
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And like I said, if you want to stay cool, you've got to keep up with the changes.
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But there's another category of slang term that's really taken off recently.
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And that's the slang of new technology.
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Things like personal computers, the internet, email, and mobile technology.
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These things have become one of the richest sources of slang, and there are tons of websites designed to celebrate or decode that slang.
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Here we see certain, often youthful communities, using this to distance themselves from the technologically challenged older generations.
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So, we've seen what slang is, who uses it and why, and what inspires it, but what about the present day attitudes towards it?
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Well, slang may be widespread and no longer taboo in the way it once was, but that doesn't mean everybody likes it.
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Some see it as decadent and insist on associating it with groups they see as undesirable or uneducated.
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They see themselves as guardians of the language and view any kind of change as change for the worse.
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In my opinion, this is absurd.
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I personally think slang is a sign of life, vibrancy, and beauty in language.
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As I said at the outset, language is a living thing and will always change.
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Yet, it seems like people are programmed to view any language change negatively.
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Okay, so I'd like to summarize now today's main points with a quotation from linguist Tony Thorne who says,
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Slang often performs an important social function,
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which is to include into or exclude from the intimate circle.
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So, yes, it may still have negative connotations, but slang is here to stay.
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It even has taken on an aura of respectability by becoming the subject of serious academic study.
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And why not?
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As I've tried to show, it's a fascinating social and linguistic phenomenon.
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It was an interesting lecture, but I have to say, I found a couple of parts confusing.
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Really?
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Like what?
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Well, he said that language change is inevitable, right?
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Yeah, it's like a living thing.
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I guess that means all living things develop, change, you know?
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Okay, and that we can't stop change from happening.
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Is that how everyone took it?
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So far we're with you.
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But later he seemed to say that groups choose to change language.
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That is, they use slang because they want to make a statement or create their own identities.
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Yeah, okay.
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So what's the confusion?
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Well, presumably, if they can choose to change language by using slang, that means they can also choose not to use it.
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Right?
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And if they can choose not to use it...
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Ah, then they're not changing.
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They're choosing not to change the language.
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It's a choice, you're saying.
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I see your point.
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Thank you.
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So, isn't that a contradiction?
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No, I don't think so.
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What he meant was that language change will happen generally.
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That there will always be events, groups, or someone out there playing with the language, creating slang.
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Right.
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Maybe it's because communication requires us to adapt to new conditions.
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So we change the language to adapt.
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That's the inevitable part.
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It's going to happen.
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History shows us that.
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Oh, okay.
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But it isn't inevitable in any particular group or in any particular case.
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You're right about that.
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Individuals have a choice about how they speak.
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Makes sense?
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Yeah, yeah.
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I think I get it now.
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Hey, thanks guys.
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That was a sweet explanation.

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Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon

Cette vidéo contient 114 phrases et 1230 mots à répéter en shadowing. La partie parlée dure 9:04. Le locuteur parle à un rythme régulier d’environ 136 mots par minute, confortable pour le shadowing. 83 % des mots font partie des 3 000 mots les plus courants en anglais ; le reste mérite d’être vu avant de commencer.

Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo

15 mots de la vidéo à retenir, avec leur prononciation et leur sens :

MotPrononciationSens
inevitable adjectif/ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/inévitable
adapt verbe/əˈdæpt/adapter
membership nomadhésion, appartenance
poetry nom/ˈpoʊ.ə.tɹi/poésie
exclude verbe/ɪksˈkluːd/exclure
everyday adjectif/ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/usuel
belief nom/bɪˈliːf/croyance
explanation nom/ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/explication
reflect verbe/ɹɪˈflɛkt/refléter, réfléchir
belong verbe/bɪˈlɒŋ/avoir sa place
expand verbe/ɪkˈspænd/agrandir
romance nom/roʊˈmæn(t)s/romance, idylle
underground adjectif/ˌʌn.dəɹˈɡɹaʊnd/souterrain
define verbe/dɪˈfaɪn/déterminer
phrase nom/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/expression

Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez

MotSens
keep up with verbealler de pair avec
take off verbeenlever, ôter

La grammaire de cette vidéo

Les structures que le locuteur utilise le plus, avec les mots exacts de la vidéo :

StructureDans la vidéo
Voix passive be + participe passé — l’accent est mis sur ce qui arrive, pas sur qui le faitis received · be associated · be understood
Present perfect have/has + participe passé — une action passée qui compte encore maintenanthave become · we've seen · has taken

Prononciation à surveiller

Le locuteur utilise 21 contractions et formes réduites, comme you're, they're, I'm. Prononcez-les sous leur forme courte, telles que vous les entendez.

  • Les sons « th »: youthful /ˈjuθfəl/, orthography /ɔɹˈθɑɡɹəfi/
  • Les sons « sh » et « zh »: associate /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, integration /ˌɪn.tɪˈɡɹeɪ.ʃən/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/
  • Mots longs — placez bien l’accent: inevitable /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/, associate /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, integration /ˌɪn.tɪˈɡɹeɪ.ʃən/

Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo

  1. Écoutez la vidéo en entier une fois sans parler et notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas.
  2. Répétez phrase par phrase à vitesse normale, en reprenant chacune jusqu’à ce que votre rythme corresponde à celui du locuteur.
  3. Enregistrez-vous et comparez avec l’original, en faisant attention à des mots comme inevitable, adapt, membership.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.

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