1.

Background “Breaking Bad” produced in the years 2008-2013 by George Vincent

information Gilligan Jr. is a TV Show set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The
events of the show occur within this timeframe as its production. In
this paper, two of its episodes from the first season will be analyzed –
“Pilot”; “The Cat´s in the Bag” and “And the Bag´s in the River” with
the runtime of 2 hours and 34 minutes.
Two main protagonists – Walter White, a high school chemistry
teacher (played by Bryan Cranston) and his former student Jesse
Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul) form an alliance after Walt´s terminal
lung cancer diagnosis. The desire to provide for his family before his
death pushes him to manufacture and sell methamphetamine with
Jessie. However, as Walter delves deeper into the criminal underworld,
he becomes increasingly consumed by power and ambition, leading to
a dangerous game of deception and violence.
2. Phonetics and Rhoticity (pronunciation of /r/ in all environments)
Phonology
 “Is it gonna be on the murder /ˈmɜːrdər/?”
 “I´ve got a container /kənˈteɪ.nər/ question.”
 “Hey, I need water /ˈwɑː.t̬ ər/.”
 “You got a brother /ˈbrʌð.ər/ in a goddamn DEA?”
 “You get paid till 5, you work till 5. No later /ˈleɪ.t̬ ər /.”
 “Can you just drop me off at a corner /ˈkɔːr.nər/ somewhere?”
 “I just want you to know, no matter /ˈmæt̬ .ər/ how it may
look…”
 “My manager /ˈmæn.ə.dʒər/ found them and we put them
back on the floor /flɔːr/.”
 “Apparently there´s some new type of brassiere /brəˈzɪr/ or
something.”
 “It seems to me, that our best course /kɔːrs/ of action would be
chemical disincorporation.”
 “In a scenario like this, I don’t suppose it is bad form /fɔːrm/
to just flip a coin.”

Flat a (/æ/)
 “So your aunt /ænt/ owns this place, right?“
 “So that answers /ˈæn.sərz/ that.”
 “A volumetric flask /flæsk/ is for general mixing and
titration.”
 “This isn’t even the issue that demands /dɪˈmænds/ immediate
attention.”
 “Now, that last /læst/ part is very, very important.”
 “My manager /ˈmæn.ə.dʒər/ found them and we put them
back on the floor.
 Diphthong (/oʊ/)
 “But a mobile /ˈmoʊ.bəl/ meth lab? That´d be the bomb.”
 “In a scenario /səˈner.i.oʊ/ like this, I don’t suppose it is bad
form to just flip a coin.”
 “So I need you to focus /ˈfoʊ.kəs/.”

Usage of /ɑː/ instead of /ɒ/ (lengthening of vowels compared to BrE)

 “Maybe, show him some autopsy /ˈɑː.tɑːp.si/ pictures.”
 “Seniors are allowed to have photos taken by a photographer
/fəˈtɑː.ɡrə.fər/ of their choice.”
 “We have got a body /ˈbɑː.di/ in that RV.”
 “My fault /fɑːlt/, my fault.”

Usage of /e/ instead of /eə/ (compared to BrE)

 “I guess, the only other fair /fer/ way to go about this would
be that one of us deals with the body situation, while the other
one of us deals with the Krazy-8 situation.”
 “You know, I hid a pair /per/ for you last week, gray ones.”

Change of vowel to diphthong/diphthong to vowel (compared to BrE)

 “I mean, you´re not serious /ˈsɪr.i.əs/.” (/ɪə/ -> /ɪ/)
 “Just give me some privacy /ˈpraɪ.və.si/, would you?” (/ɪ/ ->
/aɪ/)

3. Spelling
 “Said when the feds came, you were sticking it in some
neighbor lady.”
 “I´m trying to read the map while driving, a bonehead
maneuver.”
 “Now, if it was me, I would just try and think of it like I was
doing him a favor.
 “What the hell are you doing, man. You asshole!”
 “You know, I hid a pair for you last week, gray ones.”
 “Make those tires shine, huh?”
 “If you´re gonna bring a gun, baby, you gotta bring enough
gun. Forty caliber.”
 “The visitor center has an exhibit on that´s really supposed to
be--"
 “Says he always adds a dash of chili powder.”
  “But the piece de resistance – a round-bottom boiling flask,
5000 millilitres.”
 “Mom, get them, my big-boy pants. Mommy, could you zip
up my big-boy pants?”

4. Grammar
 “You ain´t Welcome Back, Kotter, so step off.”
 “We're also gonna have an emergency eye wash station.”
 “I'm just… We gotta be careful of the baby.”
 “…so you never wanna spend another night in it.”

5. Vocabulary
 “I want real bacon, not this fake crap. This smells like band-
aids.” - plaster
 “You and I will not make garbage. We will produce a
chemically pure and stable product that performs as
advertised.” – rubbish
 -“What if we rented a self-storage place? One of those little
orange garages? Worked out of there? –“Nah, they're onto
that. They got dogs that sniff around. RV. That's what you
want.” – motorhome, camper van
 “I barely got him in the bathtub.” – bath
 “I think when my son was born that we bought his bassinet
there.” – cot
 “I´m gonna run the register.” – till
 “I seen one of those bounce off a windshield one time.” –
windscreen
 “No baby formula. No chili powder.” – milk for infants
 “Mom, get them, my big-boy pants.” - trousers

6. Idioms
 “I want you to know, no matter how it may look, I only had
you in my heart.” (means to deeply care for or love someone)
 “Your heart is in the right place.” (means that the person that
is told this has good intentions, is overall a good person)
 “You got the green light.” (means to go ahead and proceed,
approval)
 “You´ve got nothing – square one.” (means to return to the
starting point, losing the progress)
 “Our paths will never cross.” (means speaker and another
person will never meet again)
  “Good job on wearing the pants in the family.” (means that
one person is more dominant in the family)
 “Right hand to God, Walter Jr. is not on pot.” (means that the
following statement is genuine and honest)
 “Show us your teeth, huh? Let´s see those pearly whites.”
(means teeth or nice smile)
 “I’m from here in town, man. ABQ, born and bred.” (means
that someone spent their entire life in one place)
 - “So you´re not angry?” – “Angry at you? No. Live and let
live, man.” (means that anyone should live their life without
interference from others)
 “I understand that Mr. White is feeling a little under the
weather this morning.” (means that someone is feeling sick, or
is upset)
 -“And we will tell this to no one.” – “Fine. That goes double
for me.” (means strong agreement with a statement)
 -“Are you gonna help to clean this up? We got loose ends
here.” (means that someone has unresolved or unfinished
matters that need attention or closure)
 -“You get me?” –“I think so, yeah. No more marijuana. I can
dig it.” (means to understand)

In Breaking Bad, the use of idioms varies among the characters, with
some using them more frequently than others. However, these idioms
written above are more than often used by more mature characters in
the season – Walter White himself, his wife Skyler, or his brother-in-
law Hank - tend to use more idiomatic expressions. Specific
commonality between these characters is that they all appear and are
middle-class people, with no direct connection to the street life or
underground criminal world (Walter also did not have such a deep
connection to this type of environment in the begging episodes, and his
brother-in-law is only a police officer so there is no direct connection
either.) opposed to Jesse Pinkman which never uses these idioms and
rather tends to fill his language with slang or colloquial terminology
instead.

Weirdly enough, from the analysis of the show, it can be deduced that
many of these idioms are used in stressful situations or moments of
crisis for the characters. For example, idioms are often employed
during arguments, right before confrontations or critical situations,
such as before Walter White commits his first murder.

7. Slang
 “Some dude who goes by “Cap´n Cook”…” (a man, "A man
who calls himself 'Cap'n Cook'...")
 “Dopey as hell, too.” (stupid, unintelligent; Very stupid, too)
 “I got you 20 bucks that says he´s a beaner.” (money, dollars;
Mexican, Hispanic; “I will bet you 20 dollars that he´s
Mexican)
 “I mean if you're planning on giving me some bull-winder
about getting right with Jesus or turn myself in--" (overblown
or forceful talk, often involving moral or ethical preaching; “I
mean if you´re planning on giving me some lecture about
getting right with Jesus or turn myself in--" )
 “I mean, I´m sure as hell not looking forward to 40. You´re
gonna be a basket-case.” (someone who is anxious, stressed or
who has a significant level of emotional instability; “I mean, I
´m sure as hell not looking forward to 40. You're going to be
very distressed.”)
 “I mean, you can drive away out in the boonies.” (rural area, "I
mean, you can drive away out in the countryside.")
 “Every jibhead from here to Timbuktu´s gonna want a taste.
(someone foolish or incompetent; “Every fool from here to
Timbuktu´s gonna want a taste.”)
 “Move it, homes. Ain´t got all day.” (mate, friend, buddy;
“Move it, buddy. Ain´t got all day.”)
 -“We can’t thank you enough.” -“No, hey, mad props.”
(praise, or admiration for someone; "No, hey, much respect.")
 “We´ve got looky-loos in both directions, Dan.” (people
observing something out of curiosity; "We have onlookers in
both directions, Dan.")
 “I´m trying to read the map while driving, a bonehead
maneuver.” (stupid, foolish; "I'm trying to read the map while
driving, a foolish action.")
 “Oh hey, nerdiest old dude I know, you wanna come cook
crystal?” (geek; methamphetamine; “Oh hey, old geek I know,
you want to come prepare some methamphetamine?”)
 “Are you smoking weed? Oh, my god.” (marijuana; Are you
smoking marijuana? Oh, my god.”)
 “What is this big secret discussing with some druggie
burnout?” (drug abuser; “What is this big secret discussing
with some drug abuser?”)
 “He sells me pot.” (marijuana; “He sells me marijuana.”)
 “I smoked a bowl. So what?” (the consumption of marijuana
from a specifically shaped pipe, “I smoked marijuana from a
pipe. So what?”)
 - “You damn junkie. This is going down the toilet.” – “No,
that’s worth 40 grand!” (a person who is addicted to drug
abuse, thousand, - “You drug addict. This is going down the
toilet.” – “No, that´s worth 40 thousand!”)
 -“Ma´am, you need to be wearing footies before you try those
on.” (socks, “Ma´am, you need to be wearing socks before you
 try those on.”)
 -“You know who lives in the “Crystal Palace”? Meth-heads.
Nasty, skeevv meth-heads who´d sell their grandma´s coochie
for a hit.” (a person who is untrustworthy, sketchy and
addicted to meth, vagina; "You know who lives in the 'Crystal
Palace'? Meth addicts. Nasty, sketchy meth addicts who would
do anything for a hit.")
 “Big-time on the pipe.” (definitely, “Definitely on the pipe.”)
 -“So what do you think? –“Cool.” (trendy, something that is
considered to be appealing or impressive; -“Impressive.”)
 “My pops talked me out of it.” (father, dad; -“My dad talked
me out of it.”)

One particular character using most of these slang terms is Jesse

Pinkman. His character is shaped by his family background and living
conditions. Drug selling and living partially “in the streets” heavily
influenced Jesse´s language in “Breaking Bad”. Jesse is also
significantly younger than other characters that can be seen on the
show, ultimately setting him apart from the older generation´s speech
and vocabulary. By using slang not only from the drug-dealing world,
but also reflecting his generational identity, using slang can make him
more relatable to the audience, especially younger viewers or those
familiar with the drug trade or street culture.

The characters in “Breaking Bad” use slang for several reasons, often
depending on their backgrounds and environments. Many times, these
slang terms are used as a derogative language for drug addicts or
members of specific nationality or sexuality. Jesse and Walter Jr. are
members of the younger generation in the show, so it comes naturally
for them to use such popular terminology in their generation.

8. Regional / ethnic
varieties
In Albuquerque and the broader Southwestern United States, the
Spanish influence in vocabulary is significant, reflecting the region's
history and cultural diversity: “I ain´t buying, ése.”, “Tell me that ain´t
the finest scante you ever laid eyes on.”, “Vato loco gotta make a
living.”, “Go ahead, pendejo. Kick my ass.”
In syntax, missing auxiliaries: “I seen one of those bounce off a
windshield one time.”
Flapping /t/ and /d/: “But the piece de resistance – a round-bottom
boiling flask, 5000 millilitres.” (“bodm” instead of /ˈbɑː.t̬ əm/)
Reduction of the begging of words in speech or blending of words:
“The skaters wear them.”, “Not if I have to.” (them pronounced as ´em
or have to as /ˈhæf.tə/)
Adding an assuring “huh,” to the end of a question. Likewise, “you
know” can sometimes be added in the middle of sentences: “All by
yourself, huh?”, “I will teach you my recipe, huh?”, “You let us both
 live, and I will teach you, huh?”; “And I´m like: “What the hell? You
know?””
There is a tendency to lengthen words at the end in speech,
particularly in informal and conversational contexts: “What are you
doing?” (/ˈduː.ɪŋ/ sounds more like /ˈduː.ɪn/).

Character also known under the nickname of Krazy-8 or Domingo

Molina is a Hispanic character in the show. Apart of his usage of
Spanish vocabulary in his speech, he speaks with a distinctive accent
that reflects his Hispanic background. For example, vowels may be
more open or rounded (“Domingo” – “o” is pronounced as /ɒ/ in
British English rather than /oʊ/) some consonants may be softer or less
pronounced (“I won´t come after you…” – “er” pronounced as / ə/
rather than /ər/ ), or sentences may have different intonation (“Ain´t got
all day.” – intonation goes up, instead of down). The grammar Krazy-
8 uses is not proper, with missing auxiliaries in sentences such as “You
cook that batch? You an artist.”. However, this may reflect his
background rather than his ethnicity.

9. Conversational
phrases
 -“You´re all set?” – “Yeah, I´m fine.” (asking if someone is
ready and have everything before leaving a place.)
 - “Bogdan, no. We talked about this.” – “I am short-handed,
Walter. What am I to do?” (a phrase of being at a loss for what
action to take in a given situation)
 - “The TV does add 10 pounds.” – “Ten pounds?” -“Hey, sit
and spin, both of you.” (a rude expression of frustration with
someone, another way to say “get lost)
 - “Oh, hey, so, what´s up for Saturday?” (a phrase to ask
someone how they're doing or what they've been up to lately)
 - “I am fine, honestly. It´s just some bug going around. It´s
just like a chest cold.” (a phrase used to refer to common or
contagious illness in a community)
 - “I don’t know what you´re talking about.” –“No?” –“Not a
clue.” (a phrase used to indicate that someone has no idea or
information about something)
 - “What is this?” –“Damned if I know.” (a phrase used to
indicate that the speaker does not know the answer or is unsure
about something)
 - “No, you flunked me, remember?” –“No wonder.” (a phrase
to indicate that something is not surprising)
 - “No, no. Chili P´s my signature.” – “Not anymore.” –“Yeah,
well, we´ll see about that.” (a response used to indicate
skepticism or uncertainty about something that has been said)
 - “Why do you do it?” – “Money, mainly.” –“There you go.”
(in this context, a response to acknowledge the reason why, to
 agree with it)
 - “I mean, if you’ve gone crazy or depressed. I´m just saying.
That’s something I need to know about.” (a phrase used to
emphasize that the speaker is merely stating an opinion or
making an observation)
 - “How is it coming in there?” – “Fine.” (a phrase used to ask
about the progress or status of something, typically in
reference to a task)
 -“Dissolving in strong acid.” -“Oh, man, that’s messed up.”
(phrase used to convey that something is morally wrong)
 -“Look, we are in this fifty-fifty. Okay?” (a phrase to indicate
that two parties or individuals are equally responsible for
something)
 -“In a scenario like this, I don’t suppose it is bad form to just
flip a coin. Heads or tails?” (a phrase used when flipping a
coin to decide between two choices)
 - “Make yourself at home, why don’t you.” (a phrase used to
invite someone to relax and feel comfortable in a particular
place)
 - “Are you out of your mind?” (a phrase used to express shock,
disbelief, or strong disagreement with something someone has
said or done)
 - “Is it what I think it is?” –“Yeah. Yeah, it is. I smoked a
bowl. So what? My house my rules.” (a phrase used to assert
authority or control over one's own home or space)
 - “What? You can´t have hemoglobin without iron.”
–“Apparently, it don’t take much.” –“No doubt. Go figure.” (a
phrase meaning that you can’t explain something surprising, as
there seems to be a contradiction)
 - “Hey, can you call me, like, in two minutes? Thanks, bye. I
gotta take this.” – “Female?” – “Louis. Not like it’s any of
your business, though.” (a phrase used to assert that something
is private or personal, not the concern of the person being
addressed)
 - “So, what, did you threaten him, huh? Did you beat it out of
him?” – “Not even close.” (a phrase used to emphasize that
something is far from accurate or correct)

10. Culture and daily

life
 “I´m Rain Man counting his toothpicks.” (American
comedy/drama)
 “You got the brain of the size of Wisconsin.” (state in the US)
 “I was thinking of driving up to Los Alamos.” (city in New
Mexico)
 “You people still got J. Lo.” (short for Jennifer Lopez,
 American singer and actress)
 “You ain´t Welcome Back, Kotter, so step off.” (American
sitcom)
 “Yeah, some guy in Minneapolis.” (city in Minnesota)
 –“Nah, they're onto that. They got dogs that sniff around. RV.
That's what you want.” -“What, like a Winnebago?” (brand of
camper vans popular in America)
 “You are the goddamn Iron Chef.” (genre of cooking TV
shows, also with its own variant in US)
 “Listen, you´ve been watching way too much Miami Vice.”
(American thriller)
 “You know how there´s, like, a Starbucks on every corner?”
(coffee company, popular in the US but also around world)