Project: Slang and Colloquialism in Shirley Valentine

Introduction
In this paper our aim is to analyse the use of colloquial language and slang in the play Shirley
Valentine, by Willy Russell. We have organised the paper taking as a point of departure the general concept
of register and social variation and moving towards more specific notions such as personal variation and
deviance, colloquial, slang and taboo language. To exemplify these concepts we will provide examples taken
from the play.
The vocabulary and expressions chosen, the attempts to reproduce features of pronunciation, the use
of non-standard varieties of language are essential to the play; they help to build its plot, give it its squirms of
humour, and shape the characters personality and social background.
This complex manipulation of language is displayed with various purposes. First, it is through
language that the different characters are depicted and contrasted. In her lively narration Shirley brings all
the other characters to life and gives the audience a vivid impression of her complex world. The fact that it is
a monologue and hence there is only one character in the strict sense of the word is also significant.
Language can still be used to signal membership as well as to call up varied contexts.
Second, there is reluctance on the part of the character towards standard language, which may also
have its implications. Shirleys story of dissatisfaction and unfulfilment, and her final liberation is told in an
informal, unconventional language (rarely the first choice [] of anyone attempting to use language for
formal, persuasive, or business purposes), a language that resists social institutions, such as the ones with
which she is so fed up and from which she wants to escape such as marriage. Hence, the study of colloquial
language and slang, and its implications within the English language system has complete relevance in the
analysis of this play.

Meaning dimensions
Every instance of language is loaded with so many varied layers of meaning that it is virtually
impossible to try to classify them into neat categories. As David Crystal suggests,
The English lexicon [] is not like a cake, which we can cut into distinct slices. A single lexeme
simultaneously contains information relating to several linguistic dimensions: when it came into English (the
historical dimension), how it is formed (the structural dimension), whether it is in standard use or restricted to
a dialect (the regional dimension), whether it carries resonances of gender, class, formality, or ethnicity (the
social dimension), whether it has special status in such domains as science, religion, or law (the occupational
dimension), and much more. The lexicon is a particularly sensitive index of historical, social and
technological change.
For this reason it is not our aim here to provide an absolute classification in which the words we have
analysed fit neatly. Rather, we set ourselves in this task with the practical aim of systematising in one way or
another what we have found these words and expressions may imply. As non-natives we have only been able
to judge the meaning and implications of the words on the basis of dictionaries and encyclopaedias. More
often than not our consulting different sources resulted in contradictory outcomes. We have had to decide
rather arbitrarily where they would fit best, basing our decisions on the intention we think the author may
have had when using them in the play. What is more, the meaning and register of words is in constant
change. New layers of meaning are added to the words, especially as regards connotation and register. What
is now considered slang or taboo, may not be so in the future. Hence our description of the different aspects
of meaning of the words analysed is tentative and provisional.

Register
In Hallidays terms, register is a configuration of meanings typically associated with a particular
situational configuration of field, mode, and tenor.
As regards field (what is happening, what the text is about), Shirley is talking about her feelings
and experiences.
Regarding tenor (who are taking part, participants statuses and social roles, relationships among
the participants), the character is a forty-two middle class housewife from Liverpool. She is married to
Joseph and has two children, Millandra and Brian. The rest of the characters are Jane (Shirleys friend),
Marjorie Majors (a school mate of hers, now a prostitute), Gillian (her next-door neighbour), and Costas (a
Greek man she meets in her journey).

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 In relation to mode (what role the language is playing; channel of communication, medium and
mode), some questions arise. First, is it a monologue or a dialogue? Following McCarthy & Carter, this is
not simply a question of whether
one person or more than one is represented as speaking overtly, that is on the surface of the text, but whether
there is evidence on the text of the sender taking into account and adjusting the text accordingly, for a
(projected or assumed) response by the receiver to the message as a whole and its subcomponents. (Italics as
in the original).
Markers such as well, tags, direct questions to the interlocutor suggest dialogic structure. However,
doubts arise when considering Shirleys interlocutors (a wall in Act 1 and a rock in Act 2) and the nature of
her confidences (which seem to flow in an unrestrained manner, as if she were not really taking into account
her interlocutor in the construction of her discourse).Consequently, we may say that the play is a special kind
of monologue with dialogic features. Second, in which mode is it written? In this case, no doubts arise; the
mode is clearly spoken, full of colloquial expressions, hesitations, pauses, repetitions, and all the other
grammatically intricate features of spoken mode.

Social variation
Following David Crystal, people adopt several identities when participating in society. The social
group they belong to and the role they perform in the social structure shape their identities, and have an
impact on the kind of language they use.
Language is the chief sign of both permanent and transient aspects of our social identity. Certain aspects of
social variation seem to be of particular linguistic consequence. Age, sex and social economic class are of
importance when explaining the way sounds, constructions, vocabulary vary. Choice of occupational has a
less predictable influence though in law it can be highly distinctive. Adopting a social role invariably
involves a choice of appropriate linguistic forms.
Being Shirley the only actual speaker, the play should be expected to have a unique homogeneous
discourse. This is not altogether untrue. By means of language, the author shapes Shirleys identity: her
personality, social class, age, etc. However, the author also makes use of language to differentiate Shirley
from the other characters personality, social class, age, etc. Hence, the play is crossed by a variety of
different idiolects that depict the different characters as mimicked by Shirley, and even though there are no
actual contributions from them, the reader gets access to them through Shirleys reproduction sometimes
mockery of their speech.
First of all, readers get access to female adult speech, through Shirley. As a lower-class Liverpudlian
housewife, her speech is full of colloquial expressions and slang that more often than not strikes a chord of
humour and irony.
The following is a good example of how her language depicts her personality:
Its terrible-I love you, isnt it? Like, like its supposed to make everythin all right. You can be
beaten an battered an half insane an if you complain hell say, hell say, whats wrong, y know I love
you. I love you. They should bottle it an sell it. It cures everythin. (page 14, line 8).
Readers also gain insight into some features of teenage idiolect. In the fragment below Shirley
imitates her daughter Millandra talking with Sharon-Louise, Millandras friend:
...the two of them would sit at the table for hours an alls yd hear from the pair of them was: It
was great. It was great. Was a laugh wasnt it? Then theyd both go back into trance for half an hour
an youd suddenly hear: It was brillant last night. It was more than brilliant. It was mega brill. Yeh it
was, it was double fab wasnt it ? And dy know, no matter how long they sat there, youd never get to know
what it was that was so double fab an mega brill. (page 1, line 33).
Shirley also tells the wall about her sons poetry, providing another instance of the use of language
by young people.
Whats he like wall? The language: I hate the fuckin daffodils/I hate the blue remembered hills.
(page 2, line 15).
As regards male adult speech, Shirley savours wine and says, He doesnt drink wine. He says wine
is nothin but a posh way of gettin pissed.(page 4, line 2) In this case, she is talking about her husband and
his way of defining wine. Also she thinks how he will react to the news that she has given the meat to the
dog and says, y did what? What did y do? Y gave it to the dog? Youve gone bloody mental woman. Is this
it? Have y finally gone right round the pipe? (page 7, line 18).

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Personal variation and Deviance
In his personification of the different characters, the author also makes use of expressions that
deviate from their conventional structure. In David Crystals words, the notion of individual difference of
a linguistic effect which does not conform to a rule or norm is an aspect of what is commonly referred to
as deviance.
He adds, There are different levels of deviance degrees of departure from the norms which
identify the various varieties of English and from the structures they have in common. The characters
personal variation or idiolect is constructed by means of several instances of personal i.e., the creation or
coinage of completely new expressions or deviant i.e., a new combination of words, especially those
based on well-known or fixed expressions uses of language. There are plenty of examples, from which we
quote the following:

Personal
shes got more news than Channel Four. (page 19, line7).
In this example, Shirley makes a comparison between Gillian and Channel Four, a well-known
British terrestrial channel, to mean that she is a gossip.

Id gone straight into bein Auto-Mother. (page 19, line 25).

By means of affixation, Shirley coins a word to describe herself as a home appliance, as a machine
working by itself.

Shes got me struttin round like R2 bleedin D2. (page 19, line 25).
Referring to the way her daughter expects to be waited on, she compares herself to the robot from
Star Wars (called R2-D2).

I suddenly had thighs that were thicker than the pillars in the Parthenon. (page 21, line 2).
In this example, she compares her thighs with the pillars in the Parthenon, meaning in a rather
humorous and grotesque way that they have grown really thick.

Me stretch marks were as big as tyre marks on the M6 (page 21, line 3).
This is an instance of simile coinage.
enjoy yourself an give his olives a good pressing. (page 25, line 25).
This expression she coins has several connotations. She uses the word olives when referring to the
testicles euphemistically because she is in Greece where olive plantations are thought to be
widespread. A further connotation is implied by the image of pressing the olives in industrial
production of olive oil to refer to the sexual act.

Deviance
Have y finally gone right round the pipe? (page 7, line 20).
In this example, Joseph is deviating from the idiom to go round the bend, which means to go crazy.

I have finally gone loop the facking loop. (page 7, line 21).
Here Shirley takes the slang word loopy, meaning crazy; and following the collocational pattern of
to go crazy, creates the expression to go loop the loop.

The little Innkeepers lip is goin ten to the dozen. (page 9, line 18).
In this case, Shirley takes the expression nineteen to the dozen, which means continually, never
stopping, and by reducing the number she conveys the opposite meaning.

I was off before she could get her wits together. (page 19, line1).
Based on the taboo expression get ones shit together, Shirley creates this idiom with the meaning
of get/pull oneself together.

Well her jaw dropped into her handbag. (page 18, line 33).
Me jaws dropped halfway to Australia. (page 19, line 12).
He nearly dropped his olives. (page 34, line 25).

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 These three expressions deviate from ones jaw dropped, which is the typical body expression of
surprise. In the first two, the deviation is due to additions which give emphasis to the phrase. In the
last one, she deviates still more replacing jaw by olives when referring to a man (the connotations of
the word olives in the context of the play have been explained above).
Deviance breeds from familiarity. It creates strangeness by introducing slight changes to normal or
expected combinations which would otherwise lack expressive force. Only by recognising its normal or
expected structure can one appreciate the effect of a deviant expression.
All these deviant, strange or personal uses of colloquial language clearly serve a purpose. They
renew language, enlarge its expressiveness and, at the same time, help the audience to construct a vivid
image of the characters and to become close to them or their experience.

Colloquialism
According to the Longman Dictionary of Language and Culture, colloquial is an adjective used to
refer to words, phrases, style, etc., meaning of or suitable for ordinary informal conversation; not formal or
special to literature. Colloquial expressions are usually spoken and are often thought of as being direct,
earthy, or quaint. Moreover, a colloquialism is an expression used in or suitable for ordinary informal or
familiar conversation. Consequently, we assume that colloquialism, in broad terms, is used to define the
use of linguistic entities typical of informal conversation.

Features of colloquialism present in the play.

1. The use of generally spoken features.
a) Pauses: short but noticeable breaks in speech.
...y might as well... (page 22, line 1).
An in that moment...so was I. (page 22, line 28).
b) Hesitations: pauses before speaking because of uncertainty or slowness about deciding what to say.
These pauses may be realised in the form of fillers.
Well I tried to like, tried to expl..., to tell her it was impossible. (page 4, line 30).
They seen, erm, whats his name one night, erm Henry Adrian, yeh. (page1, line 27).
Freud had said that there were two ways for a woman to have erm an orgasm. An erm the
main one... (page 5, line 28).
I couldnt... couldnt get the picture back... (page 21, line 12).
I was never... brave enough. (page 22, line 6).
How I wish Id had your... bravery. (page 22, line 7).
c) Elision: the omission of a sound.
Well dyknow ... (page 7, line 14).

d) Tags: question tags are the small questions that often come at the end of sentences in speech and,
sometimes, in informal writing. They can be used to check that something is true or to ask for
agreement.
Hey, wall, itd be fantastic though, wouldnt it? (page 4, line 32).
Well its Thursday isnt it? (page 6, line35).
...they cant half destroy your confidence cant they? (page 20, line 32).
Ill bet y didnt recognise me did y? (page 24, line 9).
Its marvellous isnt it? (page 24, line 13).
...I found you, didnt I rock? (page 24, line 21).
Well its not natural is it ? (page 7, line 8).
I mean if God had wanted to create it as a vegetarian dog he wouldnt have created it as a
blood hound would he? (page 7, line 8).
e) Contractions: they are shortened forms of auxiliary verbs, and verb forms such as want to, going to,
got to. They are written this way to imitate informal speech.
I didnt wanna talk. (page 26, line 2).
I thought the waiters were gonna break into applause. (page 26, line 14).
Brian, if youre gonna live in a squat, son,... (page2, line 10).
...Ive missed y. (page 19, line 29).
And thats fantastic (page 19, line 28).
That me stretch marks wouldnt be noticeable... (page 20, line 38).

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 ...maybe our Millandras right.(page 21, line 6).
... shes spent the whole scene... (page 9, line 2).
2. Discourse markers: they are small words and phrases whose function is to organize, comment on or, in
some way, frame what one is saying or writing.
Dougie an Jeanette are sittin there wonderin why they asked this lunatic to join them.
Well Dougie obviously decided to use diversionary tactics (page 27, line 18).
An the thing is, I was noddin. (page 19, line 23).
I mean, I didnt think shed really believe me. (page 22, line 16).
They eat squid y know. (page 22, line 33).
Well he cant can he? (page 24, line 24).
3. Ellipsis: the omission of elements normally required by the grammar which the speaker/writer assumes
are obvious from the context and therefore need not be raised. Ellipsis is distinguished by the structure
having some missing meaning.
I suppose y think Im wicked. Jane does. (page 28, line 17).
Course, all the way home on the bus... (page 19, line 3).
You goin to Greece... (page 20, line 32).
Im gonna try anything. Like I used to. Unafraid. (page 22, line 35).
4. Clippings and shortened words: clipping is the shorting of a polysyllabic word. It involves taking just a
part (a clip) from a word. A shortened word is the adaptation of a long word in order to make it shorter in
colloquial speech.
Cos non-standard because
Cos y know most men (page 29, line 2).
Cos shes like that Gillian... (page 19, line 6).
Brill infml esp. BrE clipping for brilliant. Used only by younger people.
It was mega brill. (page 2, line 4).
Fab infml clipping for fabulous
Yeh it was, it was double fab wasnt it? (page2, line 4).
Advert BrE infml clipping for advertisement
Its like that advert isnt it? (page 3, line 4).
Telly BrE infml clipping for television
...bring the telly upstairs... (page19, line 26).
5. Repetition: it is the use of the same words and structures in successive clauses and sentences. In general,
careful writers try not to use repetitions without a good reason; when expressions are repeated, it is often
for deliberate emphasis or other stylistic purposes. Casual repetition is more common in informal
language.
I had been rescued by Jeanette an Dougie. Jeanette an Dougie Walsh from
Manchester. (page 26, line 14).
The English [], the English? Dont talk me about the English, because whilst the Greek
were buildin roads an cities an temples, what were the English doin (page 27, line
10).
But when I got home I forgot all about Gillian. When I got home, What was waitin for
me? (page 19, line 7).
But theres many a time y know, many a time... (page 19, line 31).
...I just felt...felt like a real fool. (page 20, line 30).
...for the excitement of not knowing; not knowing where I was goin, not knowing...
(page 21, line 20).
6. Affixation: it involves adding a derivational affix to a word.
...Id gone straight into bein Auto-Mother.(page 19, line 24).
7. Idioms, phrasal verbs, informal expressions and informal words
An idiom is a phrase which means something different from the meanings of the separate words
from which it is formed.
Get up someones nose BrE infml to annoy someone very much.
if its the virgin Mary, gettin up our Brians nose, because (page 9, line 1).
Cracked up to be infml generally believed to be or regarded as being.
the part of Joseph wasnt as big as it had been cracked up to be (page 9, line 4).
Spill the beans infml to tell a secret too soon or to the wrong person.

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 ...if youve come to spill the beans... (page 21, line 39).
Give someone a piece of ones mind infml to speak angrily to someone because they have done
something wrong.
I was gonna go down an give her a piece of me mind but (page 20, line 20).
be embarrassed/worried etc. out of ones mind to be extremely embarrassed, worried etc.
there dead embarrassed out of me mind (page 26, line 28).

A phrasal verb is a group of words that acts like a verb and consists usually of a verb with an adverb
and/or a preposition.
Doll (sb) up infml to dress (sb or oneself) prettily.
her mother really dolled her up to be the part. (page 8, line 23).
Wind up infml to get into the stated usu. unpleasant condition or place as an accidental or
unintentional result of ones action or behaviour.
Or you wind up talkin to yself (page 29, line 11).
Informal expressions are expressions used in speech or in informal written language, not normally
found in formal writing.
Lord it (over sb) infml, usu. derog to behave (towards someone) as if one had the power to
control them, e.g. by giving orders impolitely.
She didnt come lordin it over me at all. (page 12, line 32).
Not half BrE infml very much; to a great degree.
Jane I wont half miss y. (page 3. line 31).
We didnt half get on well together (page 143, line 2).
Well she wasnt half jealous. (page 28, line 23).
In those days everyone though it was just a case of in out, in out, shake it all about...
(page 5, line 17).
Informal words
(a) laugh infml something done for a joke or amusement.
Was a laugh wasnt it? (page 2, line 1).
Ructions infml a noisy argument or a noisy confused situation; rumpus.
just as his foot is landin on the mat, theres ructions. (page 2, line 23).
Feller also fella infml a fellow ( infml esp. BrE a boyfriend).
Im not saying hes bad, my feller. (page 2, line 36).
Thick infml (of a person) stupid, slow to understand.
How can those kids of mine be so thick (page 10, line 22).
Nip BrE infml to go quickly or for a short time.
I thought Id nip into town (page 18, line 5).
Whinge, winge infml derog to complain, esp. continually and in an annoying way.
Ive never said that or whinged and whined because (page 19, line 30).
Riled infml annoyed.
The more I thought about it, the more riled I got. (page 20, line 19).
Livid infml very angry.
I was livid at first (page 20, line 30).
Chap infml esp. BrE a man or boy; a word now sounding rather old-fashioned or upper-class.
Ive just met this chap (page 25, line 8).
Guff infml nonsense.
when he gave y a load of guff (page 28, line37).
Daft infml esp. BrE silly, foolish.
I felt pretty daft actually (page 30, line 7).
Slang
When it comes to colloquial language, there are two concepts which are tightly connected. These are:
slang and taboo language.
What is slang? There is no standard test that will decide what is slang and what is not. Expressions
regarded as slang are usually some kind of amusing wordplay and they are almost always an alternative way
of saying something. Slang expressions may come in different forms, such as: single words, compound
words, simple phrases or more complex expressions like idioms.

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 Slang rarely constitutes the first choice of careful writers or speakers who intend to use language for
a formal purpose. This is due to the fact that slang language encompasses non standard words and
expressions; thus restricting its use to more informal careless contexts.
Another characteristic of slang is that it consists of fad words, that is to say, fashionable words which
are ephemeral in nature and therefore shorter lived than the items of ordinary colloquial speech.
Its ephimerality is more important, for almost every one was noticed that, of the
numerous slang words taken up by masses and the classes, most have only a short life,
and when they die they are almost immediately replaced by novelties equally transitory.
Whereas Standard English comprises durable elements that remain intelligible through long periods
of time, slang is evanescent, in the sense that it remains popular for a time, until it eventually dies away and
is replaced by newer, more modern terms. Yet, it may be the case that some slang expressions grow to be so
widely used that standardization becomes virtually unavoidable. These newly accepted words lose their
condition of slang to form part of standard colloquial language.
As regards its origin, slang tends to originate in subcultures within society. Groups such as teenagers,
racial minorities, drug addicts and criminals are prominent originators of slang. Slang expressions often
embody attitudes and values of group members, thus contributing to a sense of group identity and providing
the listener with information about the speakers social background.
In the past, as far back as 1850, slang used to refer to those lowest words only which are used by the
dangerous classes and the lowest grades of society. However, in the twentieth century, the implications of
slang have changed significantly. It is no longer associated with vulgar speech but rather with flippant novel
vocabulary which deviates from the conventional forms.
To conclude, all languages, countries, and periods of history have slang. In fact, all segments of
society use some slang, including the most educated, cultivated speakers and writers. It follows from this that
to be able to have a complete understanding and a full command of a language one should be acquainted not
only with standard expressions but also with those which stray from the norm.
It is impossible to acquire a thorough knowledge of English without being familiar with slang and
vulgarism. Whoever is uninitiated will be at a loss to understand many of the masterpieces of
English literature. Nay he will scarcely be able even to understand an English newspaper. (Alof.
E. Bosson, Slang and Cant. In Jerome K. Jeromes works, 1911)
Taboo language
Taboo is one way in which a society expresses its disapproval of certain kinds of behaviour
believed to be harmful to its members.

In linguistic terms, we can say that in every culture, one of the main uses of language is that of
referring to objects or entities in the world. However, there are certain things that are not to be said, either
because they are felt to be extremely inappropriate by the society, thus bringing social discomfort; or simply
because certain objects can only be referred to by certain people, on certain occasions. These do-not-say
words or expressions are known as taboo language.
Tabooed subjects are widely varied. They range from sex, death, bodily functions, to others such as
religious matters or even politics. Sometimes, these linguistic taboos are deliberately violated, as a means of
drawing attention to the one breaking the code, who may be trying to be aggressive, provocative or
contemptuous.
The English language has three main groups of taboo words and expressions:
Taboo of fear: this is tightly related to the bans, resulting from awe or fear, imposed on the names of
supernatural beings such as the devil. This type of taboo also bears connection to the Christian religion when
it comes to the use of names like Christ, God, Jesus, and so on. The careless use of these names may be
upsetting or shocking to some people.
Taboo of delicacy: this is connected to the general human tendency to avoid making direct reference to
unpleasant subjects. We may include in this group, the names of physical and mental defects, as well as the
names of diseases, and above all, death.
Taboo of propriety: the three great dimensions affected by this form of taboo are those of sex, bodily
functions and swearing.
In response to taboo language, there arises the need for the speaker to find and alternative
expression, i.e. a circumlocution, to refer to the tabooed subject in question so as not to sound too blunt or
inappropriate. This dressing-up or neutralisation of language is known as euphemism.

6
 Euphemistic words and expressions allow us to talk about unpleasant things and neutralize the
unpleasantness (). They also allow us to give labels to unpleasant tasks and jobs in an attempt to make
them sound almost attractive. Euphemism is endemic in our society; the glorification of the commonplace
and the elevation of the trivial. We are constantly renaming things and repacking them to make them sound
better.

Instances of euphemisms
To refer to sex:
before youve had the horizontal party with them (page 3, line 1).
Have y never heard of it? Its called the F Plan, (page 20, line 27).
enjoy yourself an give his olives a good pressing. (page 25, line 24-25).

Slang and taboo words

Pissed BrE taboo sl drunk; intoxicated
He says wine is nothin but a posh way of gettin pissed. (page 4, line 4).
Bitch sl a malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, esp. a woman. A lewd woman.
You know what she said to me? I want you to come with me. (laughs.) Silly
bitch. (page 3, line 32).
Crap taboo sl something worthless or unwanted that does not deserve serious attention.
Its crap. I hate it (page 11, line 15).
Dick taboo sl penis; but it is also a male first name, form of Richard.
Theres plenty of men walkin around called Dick.(page 6, line 28).
Blow sl to lose (a favourable chance) as the result of foolishness.
I think youve probably blown the feminist of the year award (page 25, line 19).
Narked BrE sl annoyed, angry
Ive got yolk, drippin down me leg an he has started talkin to the fridge;
cos he does that, when hes narked(page 17, line 11).
Well I started to get narked then. (page20, line 18).
Mental sl offensive mad
Youve gone bloody mental woman (page 7, line 19).
Mental is a non-U (non-upper class) slang word for the U slang word mad.
Bugger sl taboo BrE used for adding force to expression of displeasure or surprise.
Bugger the consequences... (page 7, line 32).
Bugger: especially BrE. taboo an offensive or disagreeable person.
Remember when they first painted you an an the silly buggers painted each
other as well (page 13, line 26).
Hooker: sl especially AmE prostitute.
a high class hooker (page12, line27).
Sod: BrE. taboo sl 1) Noun. A stupid or annoying person, especially a man. 2) [T usually
imperatives] used for expressing annoyance or displeasure at the stated thing or person.
Anan if I have to give up goin to Greece-wellsod it. (page 15, line 7).
Shit taboo solid waste from the bowels.
Im noteating shit (page17, line7).
Cow: derog sl a woman.
why I went to live with that cow (page19, line 18).
Arse BrE taboo sl the part of the body one sits on.
they were runnin round in loin clothes an ploughin up the earth with the arse bone of a
giraffe (page 27, line 13).
Arse about/around taboo, sl BrE to waste time.
but if I stopped all this arsing round, (page 35, line 6-7).
bullshit sl taboo nonsense.
a little bit of the bullshit is true (page35, line 16).

Intensifiers
These are words which are used to give force to an expression or to add stronger meaning to that of
the word they modify.

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 Bleeding BrE sl used for giving force to an expression, esp. of annoyance.
Hes just so bleedin good. (page 2, line 37).
its the bleeding change of life isnt it? (page 35, line 20).
its been livin in bleedin Colditz (page 16, line 15).
Bloody esp. BrE infml, not polite used as an almost meaningless addition to angry speech.
youd be bloody lucky (page 6, line2).
its not even my bloody fault about the mince (page 7, line3).
how the bloody hell else I was supposed to learn the right answer (page 11, line
5).
Sodding BrE taboo sl used for given force to an expression, esp. showing annoyance.
an every soddin sound you think its the SS (page 16, line 16).
Dead infml completely.
hes takin it dead serious (page 8, line 25).
these dead odd facts (page 10, line 24).
with this dead quizzical look on his face (page16, line 38).
Pretty infml quite, rather.
I felt pretty daft actually (page 30, line 7).
that would be over pretty soon (page 30, line 10).
Mega sl unusually large or great.
its mega brill (page 2, line 4).

Conclusion
In the present paper we have approached the play Shirley Valentine by analysing its use of colloquial
language and slang. Our aim was to describe the general implications about using this type of expressions in
English so as to give a possible explanation of why the author chose them for the creation of his characters.
To exemplify this fact we have selected excerpts from the play, and classified and explained them. As we
have previously stated, every instance of language is loaded with different layers of meaning ( meaning
dimension), and therefore the examples we have analysed do not necessarily fit neatly in the different
categories we have chosen for them. However, this method has proved useful in the breaking down of the
items into those meaning layers which have special significance for the understanding of the play.
To reach our conclusion, we have analysed the following:
(1) The register of the play in terms of field, tenor and mode:
a. As regards tenor, we have analysed the different instances in which social variation signalled
membership as a resource the author exploited to depict the different characters, and also the
different instances of personal (coinage) or deviant (based on well-known or fixed expressions) uses
of language;
b. As regards mode, we have dealt with the concepts of colloquialism, slang, taboo language and
euphemism, and their implications for the English culture. We have concluded that it was a special
kind of monologue (with a mixture of dialogic and monologic features); and, finally,
(2) A full list of all the instances in the play which could exemplify the different theoretical notions.

This analysis enables us to conclude that the author chose to use colloquial language and slang to
serve a certain purpose. It may be argued that through the use of this kind of language, Willy Russell intends
to forge a more intimate bond between the main character Shirley Valentine and her audience. This
connection appears to be more easily achieved by Shirleys irreverent and hilarious way of putting her
thoughts into words than by a more formal and therefore colourless account. It may also be said that not only
does this peculiar and refreshing use of language help to build a high degree of intimacy but also makes the
reader feel involved and be carried away by the various emotions sparked off by Shirleys speech. For it is
possible for one to feel sorry for her at times, utterly amused or even identified at others.
Another aspect which cannot be overlooked in the use of colloquial and slang language is that of
social class and membership. As it was previously developed, a particular use of slang language will help the
reader identify which social class or social group the person engaging in the language belongs to. In the case
of Shirley, her working class background is noticeable.
Russell is concerned with the relationship between the working class and the middle-class culture.
He once said that whilst the working-classes are accused of being philistines, there is a general attempt in
this country to withhold culture from them... Literature is an invention by the middle-classes for their own

8
benefit. The working-classes haven't accepted literacy yet, which is why it is so difficult teaching working-
class kids whose traditions are in the spoken word. That's why I write for the theatre, because it's concerned
with the spoken rather than the written word. But what he fails to say is that it is not only theatre, but also
colloquial language and slang, that are concerned with the spoken word. Therefore, his choice is not
accidental. It reinforces his attempt at depicting a member of the working class who wants to break through
the narrow limits of her existence by going to Greece, which happens to be the cradle of civilisation.

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