This Is Casual Grammar, Dude
2020-01-24
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1The Big Lebowski, a 1998 crime comedy, is an American 'cult classic.'
2In other words, the film has a group of very loyal fans.
3The Big Lebowski tells the story of Jeffrey Lebowski. Lebowski can best be described as a slacker.
4He shows little interest in - and generally avoids - doing work. He goes by the name, "The Dude."
5In the film, actor Sam Elliott describes Jeffrey Lebowski.
6"This Lebowski, he called himself 'The Dude.' Now, 'Dude' - that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But, then there was a lot about the 'Dude' that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me."
7Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore the kind of language 'The Dude' uses: casual grammar.
8We also will explain the meaning of the term dude.
9It has a much richer history and meaning than you might expect.
10Let us begin with some history and definitions.
11If you look at a dictionary, you will see that the word dude, a noun, is a term for a man or a boy.
12But dude did not start out with that definition.
13The online search engine Google Ngrams shows the term was used throughout the 1800s.
14It became more popular toward the end of the 19th century.
15The Online Etymology Dictionary says that dude suggested a "fastidious man" -- someone who cares very much about being neat and clean.
16It adds that research suggests the word is a shortening of "Yankee Doodle," a well-known American song.
17Richard Hill wrote about dude in American Speech, the journal of the American Dialect Society.
18He notes that in the 1930s and 1940s, some Mexican-American and African-American men began using the term when speaking with other men.
19It was sort of an "in-group" term.
20Hill went on to note that dude became more common in American English, possibly through the influence of African-Americans in music and popular culture.
21Dude eventually became a common word in very casual situations.
22The term can suggest lazy or effortless behavior.
23This is why 'The Dude' in The Big Lebowski goes by his name - he loves the casual, easy-going life.
24But for a term that could show laziness or effortlessness, dude works surprisingly hard to serve many purposes in everyday speech.
25Dude has a few surprising uses.
26Speakers use it as a discourse marker -- a word that helps organize a conversation.
27Dude can help organize a conversation by showing when a transition, or change, is coming.
28Imagine a young man has just finished telling a story.
29His friend might say,
30"Dude, that reminds of a time when I had a similar experience..."
31In this example, the speaker uses dude to show a transition from one story to the next.
32A speaker might also report speech by using dude. Imagine the following statement:
33"Tommy was like, dude, you shouldn't do that, it's a bad idea!"
34In this case, the words "dude, you shouldn't do that, it's a bad idea!" are reported speech.
35They show that the speaker is explaining what Tommy said.
36However, these words are not exactly what was said.
37Instead, the speaker is reporting on the substance, or basic idea, of what Tommy said.
38In a study on the word dude, Scott F. Kiesling noted that women often use the term in different ways than men do.
39Women sometimes use dude to show concern for or express sympathy with another person.
40The example Kiesling gives is about a young woman telling a story about a man hitting on her, making dreamy, romantic statements.
41Her female friend exclaims,
42"Dude!"
43In this case, the woman uses dude to show support for her friend and anger toward the man. You can hear this in the sound of her voice.
44Dude has other uses that we are not able to explore in our report today.
45But you now have the idea that dude is far more than just a noun meaning "a man or a boy."
46However, a word of warning: be careful when using dude.
47One probably should not say it when speaking with a supervisor , a co-worker or a teacher.
48Understanding the term dude can be useful.
49When you are watching American movies, or even speaking with young people, you will hear this term a lot.
50And when you do, you will understand that this seemingly simple term can communicate a lot of information.
51We end this report with two questions for you.
52What other kinds of words show reported speech in casual, informal speaking?
53What are other common discourse markers in casual, informal speaking?
54Here's an idea: we have stories on these and other subjects on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com.
55And that's Everyday Grammar.
56I'm John Russell.
57And I'm Jill Robbins.
1The Big Lebowski, a 1998 crime comedy, is an American 'cult classic.' In other words, the film has a group of very loyal fans. 2The Big Lebowski tells the story of Jeffrey Lebowski. Lebowski can best be described as a slacker. He shows little interest in - and generally avoids - doing work. He goes by the name, "The Dude." 3In the film, actor Sam Elliott describes Jeffrey Lebowski. 4"This Lebowski, he called himself 'The Dude.' Now, 'Dude' - that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But, then there was a lot about the 'Dude' that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me." 5Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore the kind of language 'The Dude' uses: casual grammar. We also will explain the meaning of the term dude. It has a much richer history and meaning than you might expect. 6Let us begin with some history and definitions. 7Unclear origins and definitions 8If you look at a dictionary, you will see that the word dude, a noun, is a term for a man or a boy. 9But dude did not start out with that definition. 10The online search engine Google Ngrams shows the term was used throughout the 1800s. It became more popular toward the end of the 19th century. 11The Online Etymology Dictionary says that dude suggested a "fastidious man" -- someone who cares very much about being neat and clean. It adds that research suggests the word is a shortening of "Yankee Doodle," a well-known American song. 12Richard Hill wrote about dude in American Speech, the journal of the American Dialect Society. He notes that in the 1930s and 1940s, some Mexican-American and African-American men began using the term when speaking with other men. It was sort of an "in-group" term. 13Hill went on to note that dude became more common in American English, possibly through the influence of African-Americans in music and popular culture. 14Dude eventually became a common word in very casual situations. The term can suggest lazy or effortless behavior. This is why 'The Dude' in The Big Lebowski goes by his name - he loves the casual, easy-going life. 15But for a term that could show laziness or effortlessness, dude works surprisingly hard to serve many purposes in everyday speech. 16Discourse marker and way to show reported speech 17Dude has a few surprising uses. Speakers use it as a discourse marker -- a word that helps organize a conversation. 18Dude can help organize a conversation by showing when a transition, or change, is coming. 19Imagine a young man has just finished telling a story. His friend might say, 20"Dude, that reminds of a time when I had a similar experience..." 21In this example, the speaker uses dude to show a transition from one story to the next. 22A speaker might also report speech by using dude. Imagine the following statement: 23"Tommy was like, dude, you shouldn't do that, it's a bad idea!" 24In this case, the words "dude, you shouldn't do that, it's a bad idea!" are reported speech. They show that the speaker is explaining what Tommy said. However, these words are not exactly what was said. Instead, the speaker is reporting on the substance, or basic idea, of what Tommy said. 25How do women use dude? 26In a study on the word dude, Scott F. Kiesling noted that women often use the term in different ways than men do. 27Women sometimes use dude to show concern for or express sympathy with another person. The example Kiesling gives is about a young woman telling a story about a man hitting on her, making dreamy, romantic statements. 28Her female friend exclaims, 29"Dude!" 30In this case, the woman uses dude to show support for her friend and anger toward the man. You can hear this in the sound of her voice. 31Closing thoughts 32Dude has other uses that we are not able to explore in our report today. But you now have the idea that dude is far more than just a noun meaning "a man or a boy." 33However, a word of warning: be careful when using dude. One probably should not say it when speaking with a supervisor , a co-worker or a teacher. 34Understanding the term dude can be useful. When you are watching American movies, or even speaking with young people, you will hear this term a lot. And when you do, you will understand that this seemingly simple term can communicate a lot of information. 35We end this report with two questions for you. What other kinds of words show reported speech in casual, informal speaking? What are other common discourse markers in casual, informal speaking? Here's an idea: we have stories on these and other subjects on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. 36And that's Everyday Grammar. 37I'm John Russell. 38And I'm Jill Robbins. 39John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 40________________________________________________________________ 41Words in This Story 42comedy - n. a show meant to make people laugh 43fan - n. someone who has a strong interest in a person or thing 44self-apply - v. to put on one's self 45grammar - n. the study of words and their uses and relationships in a sentence 46casual - adj. involving something done without much thought 47dictionary - n. a book or guide that lists and defines the words of a language 48lazy - adj. not liking to work hard or to be active; in an unconcerned or easy going way 49conversation - n. a spoken exchange involving two people or a small group of people; the act of talking in an informal way 50remind - v. to cause a person to remember someone or something 51We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section