The Royal Air Force slang. Impact of World War II

Abstract

World War II turned out to be the largest military conflict in the history of mankind. More than 60 countries out of 74 that existed at that time took part in it. The World War II influenced not only the military relations between the countries, but also the rapid development of the Air Force, the importance of which increased enormously during the war. The Royal Air Force was not an exception. They played a decisive role in the conquest of air domination. The main tasks of the Royal Air Force were the destruction of enemy troops and facilities, air cover for the Navy and the Army, aerial reconnaissance, and air deployment. The 20th century was an era of technical development, it was followed by the emergence of all kinds of new equipment and weapons. The number of personnel of the Royal Air Force also enlarged. These factors produced a lot of new military slang terms and borrowings in military vocabulary. We reviewed new slang terms which appeared in the RAF slang during the World War II. We also made a thematic classification of slang and look at the methods of their formation, and then we determined the influence of the World War II on military slang. Military interpreters often face problems in translating military slang, since this topic remains understudied during their training. Therefore, research in the field of military slang can help military specialists to avoid mistakes in their professional activity.