• Words used in informal speech only (colloquial words);

• Jargon words and slang as well as individual creations of nonce-words;

• Vulgar words

The 1^st group lies nearest to neutral words. In their use there’s no special stylistic intention whatever on the part of the speaker. The words of the 2^nd group have been created so to say on purpose with a view to intentional stylistic degradation. The lowest place is taken by the vulgarisms that are words which due to their indecency are scarcely admissible in a civilized community.

Colloquial words are the words with a tinge of familiarity or inofficiality about them. There’s nothing ethically improper in their stylistic colouring except that they cannot be used in official forms of speech.

Colloquialisms may be divided into:

1. Colloquial words proper (coll. substitutes of neutral words);

2. Phonetic variants of neutral words (fella instead of fellow);

3. Diminutives of neutral words (-y, -let), diminution of proper names (Johnny)

4. Words the primary meaning of which refers them to neutral sphere while the figurative meaning places them outside the neutral sphere, making them lightly colloquial ( spoon as a colloquial word means a man with low mentality);

5. Most interjections belong to the colloquial sphere (oops! Wow, oh-oh).

Jargon words appear in professional of social groups for the purpose of replacing those words which already exist in the language. Jargon can be subdivided into two groups:

• Professional jargonizms;

• Social jargonizms;

The 1^st group consists in denomination of things, phenomena and process characteristics of the given profession opposed to the official terms of this professional sphere. Thus professional jargonizms are inofficial substitutes of professional terms. They’re used by representatives of the profession to facilitate the communication.

The group of social jargonizms is made up of words, used to denote non-professional thing relevant for representatives of the given social group with common interests (music fans, subculture people). Such words are used by representatives of the given group to show that speaker also belongs to it. When used outside the group in which they were created such words impart expressiveness to speech. In literary words jargonizms indicate the fact that the speaker belongs to a certain professional or social group.

Cant is a secret lingo of the underworld (the criminals). The only primary reason why it appeared is striving for secrecy, making speech incomprehensible to outsiders. It also serves as a sign of recognition. When jargon words and cant are used in literary works they are employed to show that the character belongs to a certain professional, social or criminal group (the function of characterization).

Slang

Slang is the part of the vocabulary made by commonly understood and widely used words and expressions of humorous kind. Intentional substitutes of neutral and elevated words and expressions. The psychological source of its appearance and existence is striving for novelty and expression. Many words and expressions now referred to slang originally appeared in narrow professional groups. Since they have gained wide currency so they must be considered as belonging to slang. Different figures of speech take part in creation of slang. E.G. metaphor “the upper story”, metonymy “skirt”-girl, hyperbole “killing”-“astonishing”, understatement “whistle” – “flute” and irony “clear as mud”

Nonce-words.

Nonce-word are defined as words created for a given occasion by analogy with the existing words by means of affixation, composition, conversion etc. E.G. There was a balconyful of gentlemen – the word “balconyful was coined by analogy with words “mouthful”, “handful”, etc. Being non-existent, unknown, yet comprehensible in the given situation such words produce humorous effect. Being used just once they disappear completely.For literature – coinages – неологизмы.