when is a word:
slang? or
cant? pr
collocial? or
vulgar? (in the dictionary sence and in common usage)
jargon? or...

The phone thread got me thinking about different terms for what might be 'non-standard" (where standard is 'recieved english')words.

how would we catorgize ain't? (it used to be part of standard english, but now is considered 'incorrect'-but its still know, (and used!))

and phone? is it slang? or collocial?

and TV is it an abbreviation? or a word? (is it correct? or should you always use Television in formal writing?)

English (certain US english) is full of truncate words-
like phone, or tarp, or fax. at what point does a fax machine become a fax machine, (and copies from it faxes?)

how is cant different than slang. (to me, cant, like a speil, is a collection of words and phrases particular to a group (sales men, drug pushers, any group) but slang is used by everyone.)

any terms i missed? and how do you catorgorize non standard terms?

my other obsession