Résumé:
People construct distinctive communities according to language variation which is
tightly related to context. The present study on “Language Variation Students’ Slang and
the Awareness of its Use: The case of First Year Master Students Community of English at
Mostaganem University” aims to examine how and why students construct their own
community through slang use. The study targets the first year master students’ community
of English because there is a little interest on investigating the variety used by students of
English. Thus, the major contribution of this research is to give an insight on students’
language features precisely in the context of Mostaganem University. The study starts with
the definitions of some theoretical concepts as speech community and the issue of language
variation, slang variety and its sociolinguistic features. Throughout this research, both the
qualitative and quantitative approaches are opted for .Data has been gathered from first
year master students and their teachers employing various tools as tape-recording, semistructured interviews, and questionnaires. Tape-recording is used to illicit the students’
distinctive language features used among themselves through a comparison between their
speeches inside and outside classroom; with their teachers and among themselves
respectively. Semi-structured interviews are organized to get an insight on the slang words
students use, their meanings, and functions. Questionnaires are designed to see whether
students and their teachers are aware of slang use. Results show that first year master
students of English construct their community through community through slang use.
