On the issue of the slang

The points of view of domestic and foreign scientists on the concept of “slang” are presented, their brief overview is given. Particular attention is paid to the assumption of M.M. Makovsky on the dialectal origin of the term slang. A number of slang lexemes expressing the concepts of “woman” and “man” are considered, the etymological analysis of which shows both common and different genetic links with the literary linguistic norm. The material studied helps to clarify the principles underlying the formation of English slang, and outlines the ways for further research in this area.