COLLOQUIAL, FAMILIAR, AND SLANG LANGUAGE Slang:

 Slang can be a noun or an adjective; slangy means

Let's sort a few things out. ALL language, whether colloquial or "resembling or constituting slang".
formal, follows grammar rules - the very fact that nobody simply  It is more often negative than positive—but it can still easily
scrambles the word order shows that. be positive.

 In the formal–middle–informal spectrum, it is more informal

Secondly, written language can be formal or informal, and spoken than colloquial or informal.
language can be formal or informal.  The word slang itself is a bit informal, while the other words
on this page are not.
A few characteristics of colloquial language are: Oxford English Dictionary: 1. a. The special vocabulary used by
any set of persons of a low or disreputable character;
- use of contractions (isn't, can't rather than is not, cannot) language of a low and vulgar type. [notice vulgar used
ambiguously]
- fewer subordinate clauses
- use of 'you' to mean 'people in general' (you can't get too much of 1. Originally, slang was language associated with low
a good thing) socio-economic class or character, and it is still used
- use of slang and swearwords (e.g., 'guy' or 'bloke' for 'man') with that connotation, though by no means always.
- in spoken language, quite a lot of repetition and pauses, and 2. A secondary sense has developed, that of general
'broken thoughts' where speakers change plan part way through a "group talk" in a mildly disapproving or mocking way—
even if this group isn't lower class. This sense is now
sentence
arguably more common than the first. It is often used
- omission of pronouns where this will not cause ambiguity ('went to
ironically, as in lawyer slang.
town this morning' - leaving out 'I') 3. A tertiary, entirely neutral sense, "any kind of non-
- in speech, using intonation for questions instead of inversion of standard group talk", is now commonly used in
subject and auxiliary ('You got a light?' instead of 'have you got...') academia.
- use of phrasal verbs instead of Latin-based equivalent, e.g., 'go up'
Vulgar:
and 'go in' rather than 'ascend' and 'enter'.
 This means literally "of the people".The Oxford English
Colloquial English is the casual way of saying and you use it to talk
Dictionary describes its development through the ages:
informally for example "Howzit my friend" is colloquial english. I. 3. Commonly or customarily used by the people of a country;
ordinary, vernacular. In common use c 1525–1650; now arch.
Formal English is the formal way of saying something and it is mostly II. 9. Belonging to the ordinary or common class in the community;
used in letters, essays, reports and when speaking to someone with not distinguished or marked off from this in any way; plebeian
higher authority for example "good evening " is formal english. II. 13. Having a common and offensively mean character; coarsely
commonplace; lacking in refinement or good taste; uncultured, ill-
bred.
1 There is some truth here, but much confusion. Yes, informal is typically used for expressions which the majority of a culture knows
 It can
and uses; but specifically it means expressions which are not used in formal contexts. A colloquialism
now be used to is not regional
describe but in two ways:
language
conversational, typically with an informal context ("colloquy" means "conversation"). Slang does not mean from a time period; it
1. terms
means a very informal expression often known only to a specific group of people. Slang The old-fashioned senselifetimes
often have short is as (II.and
9.) above.
so It is still in
can sometimes be associated in our minds with time periods. – MετάEd Oct 15 '12 at 3:36 use in dictionaries, but less frequent elsewhere.

[Edited, with examples:] There is some overlap between these 2. The modern sense is close to (II. 13.), "obscene" or
terms. People will often even disagree whether a certain expression "filthy" to a greater or lesser degree; the lower classes
is best considered informal, or rather colloquial, etc. This is merely were supposed to be liable to such language, and this
an attempt at cataloguing possible associations. If you have sub-sense of (1.) came to dominate the word. So this is
suggestions for improvement or refinement, do not hesitate. obviously even less formal than slang in its lower-class
Informal: sense. In dictionaries, vulgar could be (1.) or (2.).
 This is the broadest, most neutral word. It just means that I will give a few examples, best description first:
speech or writing is on the lower side of the formal–middle– That ain't right.
informal spectrum. In informal situations, when your conduct
is relaxed in all respects and etiquette matters less, you will  slang
use informal language accordingly.  informal
 Apart from that, it is neither negative nor positive; that's why  vulgar (1. of the common people), old-fashioned label
it is the best term if you don't want to sound disapproving  perhaps colloquial
(and if colloquial is not an option). I will try and convince her.
 There are various degrees of (in)formality: it is usually not a
yes–no distinction.  slightly informal
Colloquial:  colloquial
Oxford English Dictionary: 2. spec. Of words, phrases, etc.: Belonging  some might call this slang or vulgar (1.), but it isn't felt to be
to common speech; characteristic of or proper to ordinary connected with lower class by most people, nor with certain
conversation, as distinguished from formal or elevated language. specific groups
(The usual sense.) That sucks.

 This is quite close to informal.  slang

 It is mostly used with speech rather than writing, though not  vulgar (2. obscene), old-fashioned label, because suck has lost
necessarily so. its sexual connotation for many people
 vulgar (1. of the common people)
 The word is also slightly stronger on average  informal (a bit too general)
than informal (i.e. more informal).
 colloquial is possible, but not the best choice
 It suggests a yes–no qualification: saying more colloquial is not If I was rich, I'd go to London.
so common.
 It is usually neither positive nor negative, nor felt to be lower  informal
class.  colloquial, but many people "would never say was", in neither
speech nor writing
 However, the euphemism "colloquial at best" is often used to
mean that it is bad style, referring to a colloquialism used in  slang or vulgar (1. of the common people): probably not
the wrong setting.
Informal - This is directly related to register. It is mostly dictated by
social status. One would use formal language in formal setting, such
as business functions or any time when you are speaking with
members of high/higher society.
Colloquial - This is geographical. There is only one language in
England: English. However, two people from different cities might
have quite notable difficulty understanding each other in
conversation due to colloquialisms. They are often related to the
history of the given place and can be influenced by things such as
prevalent industry, local surroundings and historical events.
Slang - This tends to be more social. The understanding of slang is
usually restricted to a group of peers. This could be a small group or
a large group. They could be from very different places and
backgrounds. Slang is formed more through mutual understanding
and often to intentionally create an element of exclusivity. Because
of all these factors, slang tends to change constantly and often does
not last long enough to enter into common usage. Though it's a
slightly lazy example, consider how teenagers speak. Each
generation tends to have it's own slang. It is not constant. It exists
for that group of people at that time. It is essentially a type of
jargon.
Vulgar - This is a little different to the other terms. Each of the
others refers to a style of speaking that an individual might adopt
and would affect all elements of speech. This term however, is
restricted really to vocabulary. Linguistically speaking, if a person is
vulgar, it means that they tend to use obscenities. It might also refer
to their selection of crass or crude conversation topics.
Hope that helps.
There are slight differences between these four terms:
Informal has to do with speech or writing that is not strictly formal,
or strictly standard. Colloquialism refers to informal speech or
writing. Slang is a form of colloquialism, but slang isn't necessarily
vulgari.e. 'dog and bone' for 'telephone', or 'bouncer' for
soomething really good.
Vulgar is anything that is offensive, in formal, or informal speech. It
could include slang that refers to indecent subjects i.e. 'frigging', or
formal speech that refers to indecent subjects i.e.'incest'
 informal — what the majority of a culture uses for
writing/speaking;
 colloquial — words from a specific region (y'all for American
South, *yinz for Pittsburgh);
 slang — words from a time period (groovy for 60's, rad for
80's).
Never did get any second source to verify, but these have been good
discussion points in my classroom for teaching about this topic.
What do you all think?
In literature, colloquialism is the use of informal words, phrases or
even slang in a piece of writing.
Colloquial expressions tend to sneak in as writers, being part of a
society, are influenced by the way people speak in that society.
Naturally, they are bound to add colloquial expressions in their
vocabulary. However, writers use such expressions intentionally too
as it gives their works a sense of realism. For instance, in a fiction
story depicting American society, a greeting “what’s up?” between
friends will seem more real and appropriate than the formal “How
are you?” and “How do you do?”
Colloquialism Examples in Everyday Life
Colloquial expressions vary from region to region. Below is a list of
some colloquialism examples of American origin:
• a bunch of numpties – a group of idiots
• to bamboozle – to deceive
• go bananas – go insane or be very angry
• wanna – want to
• gonna – going to
• y’all – you all
• go nuts – go insane or be very angry
• look blue -look sad
• buzz off – go away
10 Colloquial Terms and Their Meanings
By Mark Nichol
Why is there a taint surrounding ain’t? Why do editors get ornery or
riled, or have conniptions or raise a ruckus, if writers try to use these
and other words?
The ebb and flow of the English language’s vocabulary is caused by
competing crosscurrents. Neologisms come in with each tide, some
of them washing ashore and others drifting back out to sea. But
pronouncements from self-appointed experts and tacit disapproval
by the self-selected better classes can also result in the relegation of
certain terms and idioms to the realm of substandard or
nonstandard usage. Here are ten words that, at least in terms of one
sense, have been demoted by an association with rural dialect.
1. Ain’t: Once a fully legitimate contraction of “am not” employed at
least in familiar conversation by speakers of all social
classes, ain’t came to be identified with less well-educated people,
and in the United States specifically with poor rural dwellers. It’s
unfortunate that in writing, its use is restricted to humorous
emphasis or idiomatic expressions (“Say it ain’t so!”).
2. Allow: The sense of allow meaning “concede” or “recognize” has
been relegated to obscurity; seldom is this usage employed except
in faux-rural contexts.
3. Conniption: This word for an emotional fit, usually appearing in
plural form (“having conniptions”), is still employed occasionally in a
jocular sense. It was first attested almost two hundred years ago,
but its origin is obscure, though it’s possibly a corruption
of corruption, which once had a connotation of anger, or might be
derived from a dialectal form of captious (“fallacious”).
4. Fetch: Fetch has a colloquial air about it, and it’s unfortunate that
the word lacks respectability, because it is more vivid and thorough
a term than get (“Could you fetch that for me?”), and more compact
than, for example, “Could you go over there and bring that back for
me?” It survives in one formal sense, however:far-
fetched (originally, “brought from afar,” but used figuratively for
most of its centuries-long life span).
5. Ornery: This contraction of ordinary, influenced by the latter
word’s less common senses of “coarse” and “ugly,” developed a
connotation of cantankerous or mean behavior. Today, it’s used only
in a humorous or scornful sense.
6. Reckon: The sense of reckon that means “suppose” (“I reckon I
ought to get home”) is one of the most high-profile examples of
stereotypical rural dialect, but it’s absent from formal usage.
7. Rile: This dialectal variant of roil, in the sense of “stir up,” is used
informally to describe irritation or anger.
8. Ruckus: Ruckus, probably a mash-up of ruction (“disturbance”)
and rumpus (“boisterous activity”) — themselves both dialectal
terms — is now used only light-heartedly.
9. Spell: The sense of spell that means “an indefinite period of time,”
related to the use of the word to mean “substitute,” is confined to
rural dialect or affectation of such usage.
10. Yonder: This formerly standard term meaning “over there” is
now known only in rural dialect (or spoofing of it) or in a poetic
sense.