CORPORATE VALUES OF AUSTRALIANS AND THEIR ACTUALIZATION IN THE MILITARY SLANG OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Abstract

The article analyses the reflection of the corporate values of Australians in the military slang of the First World War. The study reveals the priority ways of creating slangisms. It traces the correlations between their choice and the set of core values of the Australian military community. The military slang of the First World War was considered an important segment of the Australian English worldview. The features that were the basis of the nomination and reflected the cultural dominants of Australians are identified. The continuity of the linguistic culture of the first English-speaking settlers of Australia, who were carriers of the argotic worldview, in the slang of the Australian military during the First World War is analyzed. It is established that the military slang of that period demonstrates the actualization of such corporate values of Australians as the hermeticity of the community and, at the same time, demonstrativeness, openness, as well as emotionality, and the desire to express an evaluative attitude towards a concept, an object, or a person. The importance of the group being closed is evidenced by expressive linguistic means, which is possible in the presence of common experience, knowledge, and adherence to a specific axiological system. The active use of expressive lexical items is also dictated by the psychological need of Australians to demonstrate strong emotions. It has been found that the universal opposition ‘own vs. alien’ is implemented in terms of features that soldiers hold vital. To understand secondary names, successful language play, irony, and sarcasm, it was necessary to belong to the group of ‘own.’ The axiological system reflected in military slang encompasses a positive attitude towards ‘own’, who were modest, decent, honest ordinary soldiers on the front line, loyal mates. A system of values was further formed, in which the unconditional respect for the monarchy, typical of the British, was significantly shaken, if not completely leveled, in the Australian military community. The organic combination of the hermeticity of the Australian community with demonstrative behavior is evidenced by the use of dysphemisms and ridicule of the objects of nomination.