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ДепартаментЧужди езици и култури

Trainspotting

 

 The Telegraph identifies Trainspotting as a disappearing hobby, as can be seen from this picture.

 

Trainspotting

Concept Investigation

 

by Anna Doynova

 

'Trainspotting in OED

             ''Trainspotter'' - a person who collects train or locomotive numbers as a hobby.

 

 

             ''Trainspotter'' (derogatory) – a person who obsessively studies the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby.

 

 

''Trainspotting'' in Urban dictionary

             As above: shooting up heroin or the like. Called so because a session will leave a dark linear mark (known as a "track") at the site of the affected vein. Hardcore users will tend to have multiple sites of injection and will locate, or "spot" an optimum vein - one with minimal "tracks" and discomfort or infection. A hit can be analogous to the impact of a locomotive or train.

Example of language use

             ''Trainspotter'' in OED

 

  1. ''Oi! Me and Tommy are going to head down to the station and do a bit of trainspotting! It looks a bit rainy, so bring an anorak!''

 

  1. ''Attention trainspotters: Erinsborough is in Zone 2.''

 

             ''Trainspotter/Trainspotting'' in Urban Dictionary

 

  1. ''The idea is to make the music really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands.''

 

 

Statistics View

             The number of young heroin addicts in England is down 79% over the last decade, according to the NSO. But this is not unexpected, as  the number of party drugs offered on the market has rapidly increased. In the '80s Britain is reported to have had a serious problem with narcotics. Heroin was a classic drug for that time.

 

''Trainspotting'' movie quote:

''The world' s changing, music's changing, even drugs' re changing. You can't stay in here all day dreaming about heroin and Ziggy Pop.''

''Trainspotting'' by Irvine Welsh

 

             One of the most famous works is Irvine Welsh' s novel ''Trainspotting''. The genre of the novel is neither a drama, nor - a modern action. This is the story of a group of a young heroin addicts, in an economically depressed area in Edinburgh and their passage through life. Ironically, some of them pass, others pass away.

The narrative bears a distinct Scottish accent all the way through, so it is a hard to read for somebody not British, or even Scottish.

The movie is also quite graphic. Even Irvine Welsh has his specific role in it. The writer is playing the character of their colourful drug dealer Mike Forrester. The film became a classic of the genre.

 

"Choose your future... Choose life... I chose not to choose life: I choose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reason when you' ve got heroin?"

 

How true is this? There is a modern day sequel Trainspotting 2, directed by Danny Boyle, released in 2017. Twenty years after the initial film, the characters return home.

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