American teenage theatre series such as Glee, Gossip Female, 90210, One Tree Hill, the O. C. and etcetera have triumphed in in the hearts of adolescents in this age. These teen drama series have become pop culture phenomenon such that they have got expanded their fan base in Parts of asia like Malaysia. The teen series craze is rather palpable one of the students of Mara College Banting. However, to what magnitude are we aware of the effects of watching these teenage crisis series? Are these trend-setting drama shows a good or bad affect on the students of Mara College Banting in terms of dialect and cultural connections?
These questions have inspired me to investigate my research question, "HOW EXACTLY DOES Watching American Teenage Drama Series Have an effect on Mara School Banting Students' Written Vocabulary?" The main target of my paper will be looking into how the dialogues of the personas and the visual stimulations of the teenage drama series affect Mara College or university Banting students' own vocabulary. I specifically selected teenage drama series from america due to the intriguing colloquial language and the substantial influence they may have on the viewers.
My section of study encompasses written vocabulary, specifically in conditions of informal writing. It is worthy to realize just how much we have discovered from enjoying these teen series and incorporating them in our daily terms. Hence, observations on daily written text messages in social networks, online discussions and journal entries provides solid evidence highly relevant to this research. The focal aim will be colloquialism, abbreviations, idiomatic expressions and growth of vocabulary.
This research question is worthy of investigation since it scrutinizes the effects of watching American teenage play series towards Mara College Banting students. Out of this research, I could determine set up students integrate what they discovered unconsciously from viewing these series into their daily written development. Terms is so vital to individual culture and interpersonal interaction. After all, the Western multimedia have greatly affected the youths of Malaysia. With the growing attractiveness of teenage drama series, it is best to consider the implications it could have on the students' British, specifically vocabulary.
Background
Mara University Banting students are truly huge fans of North american teenage play series. To conduct my research, I randomly decided on 30 students from different kinds of training (Medicine, Engineering and Biotechnology). The age group of my respondents varies from 18 to twenty years old. To establish how much these teenage theatre series have afflicted Mara College Banting students, I've extracted two Facebook entries.
" Azzeem Shahren : I'm out of GG, out of GLEE and out of Vampire Diaries and there's just no waiting for the next tv show/season when you merely got 2 weeks still left can someone supply me with other things to view?" May 28, 10:51 pm
" Azmir Seed Fakkri: been seeing Gossip Ladies, Glee and then up is the Vampire Diaries. " May 26, 2:26 pm
Evidently, the students of Mara University Banting are dedicated fans of these teenage theatre series. Actually, 93. 3% of my respondents have accepted that what appealed to them the most about these series is the interesting story. The central individuals are mainly children, therefore the dilemmas that they face are relatable to the students. All of the drama that drives the storyline of the series is exactly what keeps followers glued to their television models or computer monitors. Mara University Banting students look up to the characters of the series because they envy the character types' attractive looks, talents and wonderful lifestyle.
Diagram 1: Factors that appeal to the students most from observing teen series
The bar chart illustrates the key factors that make teen series appeal to the students of Mara College Banting. Each respondent selects two main factors.
With such a solid group of fans, how much impact has these heroes made on Mara School Banting students' vocabulary? We ought to consider if the dialogues performed by the stars are appropriate for us to apply in our own Eastern world. Most importantly, do viewing these teenage theatre series improve the students' vocabulary or get worse it? If it indeed impacts their words, what aspect of vocabulary would it affect? These questions will be answered once we probe the vocabulary utilized by Mara College or university Banting students in their casual written production.
Colloquialism
Colloquialism may be thought as a term or phrase that is not formal or literary, and is normally used in typical or familiar conversations. Sometimes, it may come of as mildly pejorative, because of its supposed use for informal settings. There are lots of branches or types of colloquialism found in American teenage dilemma series, a lot of that are quickly learned by the students of Mara College Banting.
Slang or modern youth language
Slang is usually regarded as a low form of terms and constantly associated with more radiant speakers. Subsequently, slang is more commonly adopted in casual interactions among friends. The personas in teenage series use these slangs to avoid from being regarded as out-of-date. Many students in Mara University Banting have confessed that they choose using slang when interacting among friends because the expression is much more catchy. "Spread by tv, music and now the Internet, American youths have generated a lexicon of their own. "
As previously mentioned, individuals in teenage episode series are trendsetters. The students of Mara School Banting have followed the slang that they use as well. The following desk shows a set of slang or modern youth language they have learned from enjoying American teenage episode series.
Table 1: Slang/ contemporary youth language
SLANG
DEFINITION
SERIES
Bro
Friend; popular for greetings
Glee
Pot
Marijuana
90210
Freak out
To worry/lose control
Glee
Dude
A name for everybody, stereotypically surfers and skateboarders
Expressing awe or emphasis
90210
Crack head
One who partakes in smoking crack cocaine
Gossip Girl
Whacked
Demented
Glee
Babe
Endearing term used for girls, and sometimes illustrate boys
Glee
Booze
An alcoholic beverage
90210
Noob
Lacks intelligence or experience in a particular field
The 0. C.
Hot
Attractive
90210
Mara College or university Banting students commonly use slang during informal conversations. That is a branch of useful linguistics- a theory of terminology that adopts a view of terms as social interaction. Relating to Tom McArthur, slang is the same as fashion and acts the same purpose. "Like stylish clothes and methods of entertainment, effective slang must be new, interesting and able to gain popularity in a group quickly. " For instance, the students greet by referring to one another as 'dude', ''bro' or 'babe' in social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.
" Fizree Azreen Azhar : safe trip, bro"
"Aizat Finggly : alright dude, I am going to consider"
" Naqjwa Naq : Happy Birthday Ezzy babe!"
These slang terms act as communal tools that permit teens to speak and go to town freely. They become substitutes to certain words or phrases which may appear too formal. For instance, if one needs to express his / her panicked emotions, that person wouldn't normally say, " I am in circumstances of panic!" as this would be looked at out-dated or perhaps ordinary silly. Instead, the students of Mara College Banting would exhibit their emotions as such:
" Arlina Arshad : I freak out knowing everyone has began or finished their home work. " June 8, 1:39 am
" Nadd Khar : haha, omg omg he's hot. * drool * June 11, 1:30 am
Social network is thought as a method of business of social interactions characterized by highly mobile, interconnected links between individuals or categories. After all, the main purpose of social networks and online chat rooms is to reconnect with old friends and perhaps make new ones. Which means build or register of the written words should be casual. The students are free to use slang as they wish because their audience is merely fellow teens.
However, the utilization of slang is not limited to just internet sites by themselves. The students also use modern-day youth terms in their blogs because these websites allow the independence of writing and self-expression. This area of research is known as ethno methodology or conversational analysis. The student desires to express his or her feelings towards her peers, and hence would apply slang to make the blog more accessible and conversational. The following components are a few examples of blog entries and text messages from the students of Mara College or university Banting:
" I'm not useless y'all. I simply haven't been writing for 4 months. "
"Whaddup homie"
Slang is sensitive to current styles so it changes rapidly with time. Most slang terms found in these teenage play series are 'cool' now, but would in the end disappear from use within our generation or become standardized after recurrent usage.
Swear words /Vulgar terms
Swear words, or bad words, on the other hand, are an extreme form of colloquialism. Consequently, some or all participants of the contemporary society frequently examine these words taboo. These words are largely intended for offensive remarks with extreme conditions; they have an impact on racial and social issues. Cursing is not an unusual problem one of the young adults of America. Unfortunately, the students of Mara College or university Banting are slowly and gradually picking right up this colloquial dialect themselves.
Many, if not absolutely all American teenage theatre series include vulgar conditions in the dialogues. The curse words are underlined:
Table 2: Curse words found in American teenage play series
DIALOGUE
MEANING OF WORD
Glee
Season 1 : Preggers
Puck: Sup, MILF?
Acronym for Mom Let me Fornicate
90210
Season 1: Pilot
Naomi: Well, you sound like a little bitch. And just to be clear, you are so disinvited from my birthday party.
Annoying and whining woman.
Navid: Why didn't you kick his ass?
To express the buttocks
Gossip Girl
Voice-over: Approximately a BFF can cause you to go WTF
Acronym for what the fuck
Twitter accessibility by a student:
" I think I visit a two times chin. FML (fuck my entire life)"
Facebook comment by a student:
" Hey ass opening pay attention!"
The swear words used by the heroes are quickly picked up by the students. In fact, 80% of my respondents agree that the language used in American teenage play series include vulgar conditions. Visual stimulation from these teenage episode series is also to blame for injecting the students with vulgar vocabulary. The most recent and visible example would have to be the advert plan for Gossip Female in Apr 2008:
gossip-girl-omfg. 0. 0. 0x0. 432x325. jpeg
The term 'OMFG' means Oh My Fucking God- a fairly abrasive and intensely colloquial expression. The commercial for this campaign itself explains precisely what this word methods to the public. Without doubt, the show used this term to draw in viewers and boost their ratings. Every respondent who viewed Gossip Girl learned what 'OMFG' meant just by viewing the advertisement because of this series. Due to the controversial nature of the term, Gossip Gal has been successful in gathering popularity.
However, the students of Mara School Banting do not holiday resort to such profanity. They often use euphemisms to displace the 'F term' with words like 'screw' or 'shit'. The students are somewhat mindful on what they write in the Internet since it is public domain. According to Kimberly Cunningham, one's positioning in internet sites has a huge implication on the span of a person's ability in a modern day informational society. Due to the fact the students want to squeeze in and make new friends, they would surely be careful in choosing their words.
Making a good impression in order to make new friends online is really important to young adults. Hence, the students of my college or university almost never write swear words in their profiles. After all, these students would only use curse words with friends that they are truly familiar with. When working with new friends or acquaintances, Mara College or university Banting students use slang to be able to break the ice. As the companionship develops even further and the students become deeper together, then the circumstances would let the students to use these swear words.
Abbreviations
With the growing use of the web, written text messages have evolved greatly. THE WEB is mostly a reading medium that encourages brevity, but often of the incorrect sort out. Real-time text-based marketing communications such as Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and Short Message Service (Text message) have induced the emergence of a new language suitable for the compactness of the new press.
Teenagers like the students of Mara School Banting use acronyms instead of typing full phrases since it is more convenient. They utilize acronyms up to they can to save lots of time and money. The following table shows the acronyms that my respondents have learned from watching North american teenage crisis series.
Table 3: Acronyms discovered from observing teenage dilemma series
ACRONYM
TRANSLATION
OMG
Oh My God
Gossip Girl
MILF
Mother I'd Like to Fornicate
Glee
XOXO
Hugs and kisses
Gossip Girl
LOL
Laugh Out Loud
90210
'XOXO' actually symbolizes hugs and kisses. The 'X' symbolizes a kiss and 'O' is the form of a hug. It is popularized through Gossip Girl because 'XOXO' is the narrator's catchphrase. Generally in most episodes, the narrator would always include it as a result:
" And who am I? That's one secret you know I'll never notify You know you love me XOXO Gossip Gal. "
This abbreviation has become popular among the students of Mara College Banting. A lot of them use 'XOXO' to express their fondness among friends while some simply write 'XOXO' to estimate Gossip Lady. This obviously shows how much impact watching teenage theatre series possessed on the students' vocabulary. Actually, 83. 3% of my arbitrarily decided on questionnaire respondents use acronyms in their text messages and written productions online. The following phrases are commentary compiled by the students in social networks:
" Dhania Haron : Hey Farah! We'll have to wait for Fred for the location and particular date. XOXO, Dhania " June 1, 10:03 am
" Azmir Seed Fakkri : careful Mr S, the internet might bring more benefits than you think it is XOXO gossip girl"
" Azmir Seed Fakkri : is it possible to give me your blog hyperlink?. . . XOXO blogger guy"
May 26, 8:01 pm
" Azhari Rosli : I'm awesome-er hahaha I know you love me XOXO haha"
June 11, 3:33 pm
However, the most regularly used acronyms are 'OMG' which stands for Oh My God and 'LOL' which is an abbreviation for 'chuckle out noisy'. The 'OMG' acronym is picked up from many teenage drama series, usually from the people' dialogue and texts. It really is usually to portray disbelief or awe. 'LOL', on the other hands is usually designed for written texts expressing laughter. A lot of Mara College Banting students apply the acronyms they discovered from teenage drama series in their text messages and social networks.
" Nadiah Bajunid : OMG I wanna go if which hot man too! Is this the main one in OU?"
" Rofi Dang : LOL. Totally. Haha"
" Azzeem Shahren : Btw (incidentally) upload the vids (videos) whoever has it!"
" Farah Farhana : babe sorry I was away. Will do the comment *ASAP (as soon as possible). "
Expanding vocabulary
New Terminology
A lot of teenage play series have a tendency to create new conditions to keep viewers thinking about what those terms really mean. As preciously mentioned, Gossip Girl got popularized the acronym 'OMFG' and used 'XOXO' as its trademark. However, it is not the only teen series that have introduced new conditions. My questionnaire respondents oddly enough pointed out some terms they have learned from viewing other teenage drama series; almost all of which are not even in the dictionary.
For case, 'Chrismukkah' is a term that was popularized in the O. C. whereby this can be a party of both Holiday and Hanukkah. The character, Seth Cohen had parents who acquired separate beliefs. His dad was Jewish whereas his mother was Protestant. Hence, to incorporate both values, Seth claimed to get 'created' this getaway. The term acquired already existed before the series, but it was the O. C. that had made the term popular among visitors, which include the students of Mara University Banting.
Another example could be the pop cultural phenomenon- Glee. This teenage episode series had practically developed a term of its. Show 11 of Season 1 was entitled 'Hairography'. The definition of the term was discussed in the dialogue of Rachel Berry with the Glee Team advisor, Mr. William Schuester. The next excerpt is Rachel's explanation of the term:
" What these were doing were all just smokes and mirrors- it's called hairography. All of the whizzing with their hair around just to distract from the actual fact that they're not really good dancers and their vocals were just so-so. "
Besides that, Glee also coined the word 'Lima loser'. A Lima loser is a person that will not amount to anything and would always be a loser for the rest of his / her life. Lima is in fact an abbreviation for 'lost in the middle of America' (L. I. M. A. ) where in fact the character types in the series live. This term was launched through Quinn Fabray's dialogue when Puck confronted her:
" You're a Lima loser and you'll always be a Lima loser. " Season 1 Tv show 4
From the dialogue performed by the characters, the students of Mara University Banting now understand the definition of the term 'Hairography' and 'Lima Loser' even if they did not can be found previously. Considering that Glee is a musical series, the terms released by this teen series will most definitely be related to music. An ideal instances would be 'Mash-Up' and 'Theatricality'. Once more, the character explains the definition of the term verbally. The next is the script that details the terms:
" Mr Schuester : A mash-up is when you take two tracks and mash them mutually to make an even richer explosion of musical manifestation" Season 1 Episode 6
" Shelby Corcoran: But being theatrical doesn't indicate you need to be a nuclear explosion. It could be like, such as a quiet storm. You just have to radiate sentiment, express what's deep inside you. That's what theatricality is truly about. " S1 Show 20
The musical jargons are also unveiled from the party routines. Within the episode 'Chuck down', Sue Sylvester's figure wished Mike Chang to show his 'pop and lock' techniques. Mike Chang began to boogie to the pop and lock style, thus demonstrating what the word really recommended without stating a term.
14. 1. jpgimages. jpeg
'Pop and lock' is a method of break dance which involves short, rapid motions of the hands and the lower limbs (popping), coupled with brief pauses in between motions (locking). Mike Chang's figure had perfectly demonstrated these dance steps in many episodes. Rather than describing it in lines, Mike shows it to the audience. This is an example whereby visual excitement from teenage episode series can grow the students' vocabulary.
Therefore, teenage play series had clearly been educational to some extent. The students who aren't musically inclined are now more experienced in music by watching teenage dilemma series like Glee. The new words they have learned, regardless whether they were developed by the series or proven in the English dictionary have greatly widened their vocabulary.
Even Fox Entertainment Manager, Pete Grain quoted, "In only one year, Glee has transcended the television landscape and surfaced as a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. " Glee has gained very much attractiveness worldwide that the lovers of Glee have been given the nickname 'Gleek'. The word is truly a combination of 'Glee' and 'geek'. Therefore, all the students of Mara College or university Banting that are enthusiastic about Glee would refer to the other person as a 'Gleek'.
Adjectives
In regards to learning new words, a band of Mara School Banting acknowledged that these American teenage theatre series had taught them new adjectives. Since adjectives are important to describe the character types' thoughts or actions, many of these adjectives are added in to the students' ever increasing vocabulary.
Table 4: New adjectives discovered through watching young series:
ADJECTIVE
Abrasive
Glee
A person who is rude and unkind
Fugly
Gossip Girl
Fucking ugly
Slampy
One Tree Hill
Very small; not covering much
Most adjectives found in American teenage dilemma series are in a way, invented. Only one or two new terms learned from enjoying these series are in fact real English words. Words like 'fugly' and 'slampy' are terms that the series have released independently. Fugly uses the 'F expression' (euphemism for fuck) to provide a much more powerful impact or focus on the adjective 'unpleasant'. Slampy is also another negative term created by teenage dilemma series.
(c) Idiomatic Expressions
Despite the negative terms that have been injected in to the vocabulary of the students of Mara School Banting, there are also pros to seeing these teenage crisis series. Some teenage crisis series include idiomatic expressions in the script. My respondents have discovered many idioms while you're watching these shows.
Table 5: Idiomatic expressions learned from Glee (extracted from questionnaires):
IDIOM
Cock o' the walk
Used to spell it out a person who is 'too cool for school'
On the down low
A man, who for all those intents is directly, however occasionally likes to engage in gay sex
Over the make boulder holder
Large bra
One in the oven
Pregnant woman
Washed up
Someone that has once led its peak of greatness much too long ago
Judging from the set of idioms used in the script of teenage crisis series, there is no denying that enjoying these series may also be educational. It is difficult to learn idiomatic expressions through memorization. Hence, the aesthetic excitement from teenage crisis series would make it easier for the students to keep in mind the idioms. When the conditions are applied in daily situations like the teenage episode shows, the students would know the proper way of making use of those idioms. They might be able to widen their vocabulary with ease.
CONCLUSION
The main aim of this Prolonged Essay is to investigate about how watching North american teenage dilemma series make a difference the vocabulary of Mara College or university Banting students. The dialogue and visual stimulations of the teenage series have indeed affected their written vocabulary, particularly in informal written texts. Applications such as social networks, blogs and text messaging supply the students the freedom of words and self-expression. Therefore, the students combine the vocabulary they have discovered from observing those series into these applications.
Collectively, these teenage dilemma series have added slang or modern-day youth language into the students' vocabulary. Due to the fact the register in internet sites and texting is casual, the students feel free to use slang. Besides contemporary youth words, the students have also applied abbreviations in their vocabulary. Acronyms are widely-used, as they are more convenient in comparison to writing down complete sentences. This system is picked up from viewing the characters words using their devices or any other visible stimulations of the type.
However, these American teenage theatre series often add conditions that are somewhat unpleasant. Swear words tend to be written in the script to portray teenage angst and the degrading dialect in our culture today. If used carelessly, these swear words might offend other teenagers and harm their self-esteem. The tone of discussion among youngsters may be informal, but care must be studied not to use colloquial words irresponsibly.
Though there are some negative implications of viewing teenage dilemma series, there is absolutely no denying that these shows are also good for the students of Mara University Banting. Generally, new terms are being released to these students. A lot of the students have discovered new words by simply watching these shows. The visible stimulus also helped them memorize the words better. Hence, seeing these teenage drama series have indeed affected Mara School Banting students' written vocabulary. The new terms are discovered and applied in informal written production such as internet sites, texting and personal blogs.
