Module 9: Military Slang Formation

If you have ever listened to a conversation between two soldiers or even watched a military inspired movie, you probably noticed that military speech is often filled with so many unknown words it can seem like an entirely different language. The military is notorious for shortening and abbreviating words to make conversation more efficient. But how are these new words formed?

One way is through the process of clipping. Clipping refers to shortening a multiple morpheme word to just a single morpheme (Harley, 2006). Clipping can occur either by removing the first, middle or last morphemes of a word. 

Removing the last morpheme of a word is arguably the most common form of clipping and can be seen in the military slang word commo (Military.com, 2016). Commo refers to communications equipment or personnel and is formed by eliminating the final morphemes of the word communication. 

Another common way military slang is formed falls under the category of Initialisms. Initialisms take the letters from a multiple word concept and string them together to form a new word. Acronyms result when this new word is pronounced as a continuous phonological word. Alternatively, abbreviations result when each letter (or initial) in the word is pronounced individually (Harley, 2006). 

The military slang word BOLO is an example of an acronym. It is pronounced as /bowlow/ and stands for Be On the Look Out. In contrast, the word CP, standing for Check Point, is an abbreviation as each letter is pronounced individually (Its Crew, 2016). 

There are many more examples of Military slang that follow these two general methods of new word formation. Seeing as seconds can make a difference between life and death, shortening and abbreviating words in military conversation is essential for survival and success. 


References 

Harley, Heidi. 2006.  English Words: A Linguistic Introduction.  Malden, MA. Blackwell.

Its Crew. 2016. "Military Acronyms, Terminology and Slang Reference." http://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/language/military-acronymsterminology-and-slang-reference/ (accessed October 19, 2016)

MilitarySlang.com. 2016. "Glossary of Military Terms and Slang." http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/military-terms-and-jargon.html (accessed October 19, 2016)