User:Cshiang

Urban Slang

Words, phrases, or sounds used and developed by a group or community to mean something different from the traditional meaning. Also referred to "street language", "street talk". Each community seems to evolve it's own vernacular and lexicon. The use of slang also connotes that the user is knowledgeable to the rules and etiquette of that community; therefore not an outsider or not belonging to that community. Community can be defined by age, gender, ethnic or of similar thinking, behavior, group of people. User of community slang is perceived to be part of an exclusive inside knowledgeable group. Part of the "A list", "in the know", "VIP". The slang is almost similar to a secret handshake.

Often urban slang first developed by a community spreads beyond and is adopted by a wider community and becomes part of that language or global language's lexicon. Such as "ok". Now is part of global lexicon to mean "alright". The paradigm is that once urban slang is adopted by a larger community, often the slang loses its appeal to the original community that developed the slang. The slang user can also be perceived to belong to a community that is not well regarded. For example, someone using the term "groovy" unless they were "sway" would seem like a foolish old "hippie" trying to "hang" (to belong to a community).

Recently, as reported by the Washington Post, President Obama used the term "we're straight" with a hot dog vendor. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/?hpid=topnews. This means no change is required after the purchase of the hot dog. We could say President Obama is "hip" or "cool" and for younger generations: "sway".

Sample American Slang: "Sick", to mean really great. "chill", to relax, or used in a context of an attitude, don't be so serious. "baby mamma", a young unwed mother, now a movie www.babymamma.net produced by Tina Fey.

"nipple", used by someone at a speaker who is at a loss for words, mangles their thoughts or utterances. "BFF", best friends forever. "xactly breath", someone's breath smells excactly like their rear end. "crundle", friendly insult between teenagers that something (food, face, body part, item, etc.) looks like a crundle. Crundle being the anatomy of a human body between the front sexual part to the rear part.

Urban slang dictionaries are prevalent. Some sample sites: lifehacker.com/software/dictionary/urban-dictionary-slang-lookup-113507.php www.urbandictionary.com

www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/548055/slang/27147/Development-of-slang/ref>