An Analysis of Slang Words Used in the Animation “How to Train Your Dragon”

Nuntapong Wuttavipart; Nipat Pho-ong; Sutthasinee Ngamkaew; Pakjira U-thorn; Tawatchai Chaisiri

doi:10.60101/jla.2023.4.2.2791

Authors

Nuntapong Wuttavipart English for Communication Program, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi
Nipat Pho-ong English for Communication Program, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi
Sutthasinee Ngamkaew English for Communication Program, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi
Pakjira U-thorn English for Communication Program, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi
Tawatchai Chaisiri Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8018-8995

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60101/jla.2023.4.2.2791

Keywords:

slang words, animations, films, movie scripts

Abstract

Animation movies have become increasingly popular among people of all ages, including children. Sometimes, the use of slang in character dialogues can confuse or mislead young viewers. This study aimed to investigate slang words used in the animation “How to Train Your Dragon” (2010) since the dialogues are enjoyable, and the characters are intriguing to a wide range of audiences, though slang words in the movie could be identified and used as guidance for young children. As a result, the slang words used in the movie were identified and explained in terms of definitions in the context of use, categorized into designated types, and calculated using descriptive statistics, including frequency and percentage. The data used in this study were the script in the form of a PDF file derived from Netflix and online dictionary websites. It was found that there are 28 slang words that appear in the movie. There are five types of slang words including the most common type of Fresh and Creative, followed by Clipping, Imitative, and Flippant, respectively, while Acronym was not found. These slang words are useful for young audiences to make sense of the movie when guided by adult audiences, and they can be beneficial for ESL/ESL English learners who are interested in learning English through films.

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