Slang of the twentieth century on the basis of the novel “The Hot Rock” by Donald E. Westlake

Part III. Slang in the book

              There are lots of slang words and collocations both in the book and in the film, which was shot in 1972.The Hot Rock is a comic caper film written by William Goldman and directed by Peter Yates, starring Robert Redford, George Segal and Moses Gunn. The film was based upon Donald E. Westlake's novel of the same name, which introduced his long-running Dortmunder character.

Four more of the Dortmunder series have been filmed

Awards for The Hot Rock [4] (1972)

1.      Academy Awards, USA

1973              Nominated              Oscar              Best Film Editing

Frank P. Keller

Fred W. Berger

2.      Edgar Allan Poe Awards

1973              Nominated              Edgar              Best Motion Picture

William Goldman

The film was quite popular and viewers’ reviews of the film prove that. Viewers’ reviews are attached in the appendix 2.

Comparing Belkin’s and Zilbergleit’s translations of this book we would prefer Zilbergleit’s translation. Belkin’s version of translation is more neutral. Belkin translates the majority of slang using normal acceptable words. Не does not try to find equivalents in Russian slang. Because of that the novel loses a great part of its peculiar humour. Sometimes because of that some parts of the text have no sense. Zilbergleit’s version is more true to life. The characters’ speech is live in his translation. Zilbergleit’s equivalents are very close to English ones. But nevertheless we also consider some examples of his translation not correct.

      The translation of the word № 3 (app.№ 1) is not quite right, because in Russian translation (in both variants) this word is not slang, but in English version this is a slang word.

      The word № 4, 8- this translations are not so frequently used.

      № 21- the word contains root “cock”, that is why it is better to translate it using Russian colloquial expression.

      № 32 my translation is used more often, it is more usual to call taxi drivers so.

      № 35, 39 my translations of these words are more suitable to the context.

Having studied all the translations of the book we understood that they can not be compared with the original version. Although the translators did their best to convey the slang of the book, there is no doubt that Westlake is a real master of word. His descriptions of places and characters, unique  sense of humour make him a real master of modern detective and adventure stories.

Conclusion

As we can see, slang appeared many centuries ago. And even at that time it was considered unacceptable in speech, especially in formal one. Although originally slang was invented in criminal society, it was extremely popular. A lot of writers and poets used slang in their works. And such great writers like Shakespeare were not afraid to use it. Slang became popular again in the twentieth century when popular writers started to use it. Scientists are still debating about why people use slang. But the majority of scientists say that people use it to make their daily life speech more expressive. People also want to look unique and different from others when they use slang. They also often express strong emotions through slang.

We can not make a complete conception of the language studying only standard sides of English. That is why this book can be great help for those who want to speak “live” English. The text of the novel is full of slang and colloquial words. One of the main advantages of this book is that the author does not overuse slang words in the narration. Although the scope of use of such words is not so big there is no doubt that a person willing to speak and understand English very well should know them. Moreover, this book helps us to broaden our knowledge of speaking English in low social classes.

People shouldn’t be afraid to use slang in their speech. We definitely should know slang, because without it our knowledge of the language will not be full enough.

Appendix 1

Appendix 2: Reviews of the movie

1.      This was another fun movie in a week surprisingly full of fun films. The Hot Rock isn't a well-known film, despite its having starred Robert Redford, adapted by William Goldman (from a Donald Westlake novel) and directed by Peter Yates, who also directed Bullitt and Breaking Away (one of my favorite movies). Somehow this movie has been forgotten, which is a shame.[7]

2.      I saw this film for the first time when I was a kid of about 4th grade age. It hooked me then and has stuck with me ever since as an enjoyable, fun, light caper movie. Granted it is not deep, serious or complicated. You do, however, "get your money's worth" because there is more than one caper that gets pulled for the good guys to finally come out ahead. If you are looking for fun adventure with the 70's charm and very little violence and virtually no adult language, give this movie a try.

3.      I saw this movie in its original theatrical release and have seen it again many times since. It is one of the funniest movies ever made. The script, the performances, the direction, and production are all outstanding. Redford's performance is as good as if not better than his efforts in Butch Cassidy and The Sting. Zero Mostel is as always delightful. The soundtrack, hip and jazzy, is perfect. What's not to like? A true gem of a comedy/drama. The high point of virtually all careers involved. Thanks to this review, I have learned that the movie's script was based on a novel, one of a series of novels, which I plan on reading.

4.      Outstanding!!!! By that I mean it's good, it has some flaws but hardly none. The characters are interesting, the plot keeps you on the edge of your chair(the plot is 4 men have to steal a diamond for another man but just as they almost have it he fires them and goes with one of the 4 men's father and steals it for himself. Oh, and did I say that they had to steal it at least 3 times over using disguises, helicopter, trucks and cars.) and even though there's no special effects it's still one of the best movies I've ever seen. But the stupidity of the curly haired one, he ate a diamond and he was fine, the police caught him and he couldn't eat it again. Also his remark "I'm going to tell mum on you daddy" is so lame!!! It was a sort of comedy that only occasionally got me laughing. One of the best films I've ever seen.[8]

5.      Another Classic from the Super 70's...really think that the 70's films are definitely much better in every respect. This movie is fun and entertainment and the actors are also very good.

6.      I agree. This is a classic and should be played more instead of trash of today. They don't make 'em like they used to. I'm 23 and have loved classics since I was little. Best stars and best films.[9]

List of references

1) Donald Edwin Westlake //http:donald-westlake.ememorials.in/

2) Donald E. Westlake //http:www.search.com/reference/Donald_E._Westlake

3) Donald E. Westlake //http:en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/620288

4) Awards for The Hot Rock (1972)// http:www.imdb.com/title/tt0068718/awards

5) Dumas, Bethany K.; Lighter, Jonathan  // "Is Slang a Word for Linguists?". (1978) American Speech – page 14–15.

6) Slang:  Today and Yesterday // 1933, Ch. 2.

7) The Hot Rock (1972). Review // http:www.celluloideyes.com/blog/archive/000645.html

8) Reviews & Ratings for The Hot Rock //http:www.imdb.com/title/tt0068718/reviews

9) Reviews of Robert Redford Film The Hot Rock  http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoMs7Wby36M

10) Donald E. Westlake .The Hot Rock // NY: Simon & Schuster. 1970

11) Donald E. Westlake .The Hot Rock. Translation by А. Korzhenevskij, B. Belkin.: "OCR Aldebaran "

12) Donald E. Westlake .The Hot Rock. Translation by A. Zilbergleit. Magazine “Star of the East” № 1-2, 1990

13) Parshall, Gerald. U.S. News & World Report // 06.27.94, p.61

14) Thorne, Tony.  The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang. // New York: Pantheon Books, 1990. 

3

[3] Donald E. Westlake

[2] Donald E. Westlake

[5] Dumas, Bethany K.; Lighter, Jonathan “Is Slang a Word for Linguists?".

[6] Slang:  Today and Yesterday

[7] The Hot Rock (1972). Review

[8] Reviews & Ratings for The Hot Rock

[9] Reviews of Robert Redford Film The Hot Rock