Is slang important for ESL students????

[onay84]

help!!!!!

[Kraken]

It depends on what you call important.
On the one hand, I don't think you ever come across an exam on slang.
On the other hand, I have always found it (the slang) useful in order to communicate with real people.

[riverkid]

Great stuff, Kraken!

[makaveli]

The problem with slang is that it's usually a regional or even narrower spoken form of the language with varying amounts replacing 'proper' words. So who are you actually going to understand in a 'real ' sense by using it?

There are some more general words that creep into general mainstream native speaking country language use, such as 'cool' or 'back in the day' (probably through films/movies using fashionable/hip ghetto words) but on the whole I think it has very limited benefit to most learners unless you go on on a huge campaign of learning tons of different words from heavily slang fortified areas of the UK,US, Australia etc etc.


Mak

[Kraken]

You've got a point there.
Still, I don't mean to 'study' the slang; but when they say 'fo shizzle, I want to know what they are saying. The same goes when I ask the price of something and they answer "ten squids".
I browse UrbanDictionary.com every now and then.But I do it in my spare time.

[riverkid]

Off topic, but everytime I see your name, Kraken, I'm reminded of the English phrase/slang,

Let's get crackin'!

Let's get Kraken!

I intend no disrespect to you or your name. Here's a little puzzle for ESLs; what are the two different meanings?

[Kraken]

No problem at all, mate.

"Get cracking!" means "Move it!", "Go!" or "Start (doing) something right away!"

"Get Kraken!" could mean I better get cracking or else...!

"Seize him!", "Kill him!" ... or even worse