Most of us use colloquialisms every day and do not even realize it because these figures of speech are so ingrained in our daily dialogues. What you may not know is that colloquialisms, such as “pop,” “soda,” and “coke” are associated with particular groups of people, regions, or historical time periods. Colloquialisms are closely related to slang words, so more often than not, the two are often confused.
What is Colloquialism?
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that has become commonplace among a group of people, region, or historical era. Colloquialisms are used in informal communications and are often confused with idioms and slang. Colloquialisms occur with repeated use of a specific word or phrase. A great example of a regional dialect are the words “fries” and “chips.” They mean the same thing, but in the U.S, the word “fries” is used while in the UK, they say “chips.”.
Note:Colloquial is not the same as colloquialism. Colloquial is defined as “used in or characteristic of familiar and informal conversation” while colloquialism is “a colloquial expression.” In other words, colloquial is an adjective while colloquialism is a noun.
How to pronounce Colloquialism?
When do writers use Colloquialism?
Authors like to use colloquialisms as a way to add authenticity and personality to their characters. Colloquialisms occur in natural, everyday informal conversations and when used in writing, the character sounds more natural, creating a sense of familiarity between the reader and the writer. For example, “wicked” means “evil” and “very good” as in, “The curry was wicked.”
How to use Colloquialism?
To use a colloquialism correctly and effectively, you should be able to identify the differences between a colloquialism and slang or jargon as they are often confused.
Slang refers to words or phrases that take on different meanings through repetitive usage among a particular demographic. Examples of slang are “hip,” meaning trendy and “throw shade” which means to insult someone. On the other hand, jargon is business and industry specific. For example, a lawyer may use the term, “affidavit” while a stockbroker may say it’s a “Bull market.”
Colloquialism in Literature 📚
In literature, colloquialisms serve a very specific purpose which works in layers. Writers use colloquialism to establish realistic dialogue and setting. As dialogue changes over time, colloquialisms authenticate an author’s story by clearly establishing the setting in a particular place or time period. Authors also use colloquialisms in dialogue as a means to develop a character and their backstory, such as age and socioeconomic status. Below are a few examples.
In The age of Innocence, Edith Wharton uses upper-class phrases such as “des quartiers excentriques” to isolate the reader from her characters. Since the novel is centered on the upper-classes, she used high-class colloquialisms to mimic European royalty.
Similarly, Mark Twain uses class-focused colloquialisms in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. When describing a scene in which he had to run away, Finn says, “And the way I lit out and shinned for the road in the dark there ain’t nobody can tell.” Finn’s statement means he got out of there and ran for the road, but by using rough language tinged with colloquialisms, Twain firmly establishes him as a young, uneducated boy from rural Missouri. To set the time period, the specific colloquialisms used, “lit” and “shinned,” establish Finn as living in the early to mid-nineteenth century.
Colloquialism in Song 🎧
Like most of us, the internet also gets confused by the difference between slang and colloquialism. However, the creator of the awesome song mash-up got it right. For real examples of colloquialisms in song lyrics, have a listen. See how many you can identify.
That was pretty fun, right?
Colloquialisms are Often Confused with . . . 👥
- Slang – Considered a linguistically innovative way of speaking, the identifying factor of slang is who uses it. Slang is often confined to a specific demographic such as age, race, or culture. Slang words are considered “fresh.” An example of slang is a college kid talking about how “lit” he got last night which refers to being drunk.
- Jargon – Technical lingo used by people working in a particular field such as medicine or IT. Another great example is the restaurant industry. Restaurant workers use the terms “FOH,” “BOH,” and “on the fly.” Respectively, these terms mean “front of house,” “back of house,” and “really fast.”