By: Nitasha Puri
Date: 20.10.200
From casual greetings, to offensive slurs, everyone uses slang in some for or another. And usually, we don't even try to.
Words. Over time, they’ve become a powerful technology. They make up sentences, form thoughts, and create languages. They communicate; they connect. And they’re always changing.
The biggest cause of language’s constant evolution is slang. Used to describe words that are informal or nonstandard, slang has no societal boundaries or limitations. It can exist in all languages, cultures, and classes of society.
Some believe that slang originated from a desire to be unique. To others, it appears that slang develops through its usefulness. Whatever the reason, slang is an inescapable part of language, especially on campus at McMaster. “The way I see it, when people speak slang, they have no [conscious] intention of really using it—it just flows in and out of sentences,” offered third-year health sciences student Amna Ahmed.
Of course, it is important to note the individualistic nature of slang. At McMaster, the realm of slang words is gigantic and extremely diverse. Results of random surveying prove this—slang words included “wicked,” “cool,” “what up,” “oh, snap,” “phenom,” “sketchy,” “holla,” “chillaxing,” “ghetto,” and many others. “One type of slang word is the shortened word,” explained MSU Vice President Administration John Popham. “I often use words like ‘lata,’ ‘gonna,’ ‘wanna,’ and ‘yeah’—basically because I’m lazy.”
“Slang also mimics phrases from TV shows,” said first-year social science student Madeline Bergeron. “The girls across the hall from my residence room use things like ‘I’m Rick James, bitch!’ from Chapelle’s Show.” Popham agreed. “I use words like ‘wicked;’ ‘cool;’ ‘awesome;’ ‘radical’–all from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and old school shows.”
Others highlighted the sexual connotation of slang. “We use words like ‘broad’ [referring to a woman],” said first-year social science student Andrew Conrad.
“Or ‘pidonkydonk’ [a female’s posterior],” added his friend, first-year social science student Erik Sodonis.
Conrad also mentioned ownership. “We say ‘wassup’ with our tongue out to greet people on our floor—it’s an element of it being a word that belongs to all of us.”
Brennen Jared, a first-year science student, shared a similar story. “We use the word ‘creepy’ to describe things because of an inside story. Nobody else gets it, but my friends and I use it all the time.”
Cultural identity seems to have an impact upon the definition and usage of slang. “I think one slang phrase is ‘I want to escape,’” explained Bengali fourth-year PhD student Basab Bhattacharya. His colleague Kamalesh Mandal suggested that the word “busy” is frequently used. Although some might not define these terms as slang, it is worth noting that mother tongues influence perceptions of what is colloquial and what is not.
Second-year sociology and psychology student Tarek Ajak spoke of the comfort that cultural collectiveness provides when choosing words. “A lot of slang is associated with ethnic backgrounds. It seems like people with the same ethnicities take liberties with slang—things that might be offensive are all of a sudden inclusive with the sense of community.” This idea was proved when third-year developmental psychology student Susan Chang shared her communication methods. “My friends that are Indian and I/we make fun of the Indian accent in our slang when we use words like ‘sewen’ instead of ‘seven.’ We use different languages and turn them into slang words.”
On the other hand, culture does not always factor into the idiosyncrasies of language. MBA exchange student Marie Perrotin discussed her experiences back in her homeland France. “[English] words that are used here are also used in France [without being translated into French]. There is some common slang, so there is not much of a change for me there in that respect.”
Yet not all language is accepted like cultural, sexual and popular slang. Unfortunately, some slang projects negative connotations that some find disrespectful. “Words used are not really that bad sometimes because people’s intentions are good,” offered Peter Ramkissoon, third-year history and psychology student. “Still, phrases like ‘gay,’ ‘retarded,’ ‘rape,’ and ‘nigger’ are thrown around so much, yet used as double entendres. You just never know who you’re standing next to and offending.” Bergeron added, “People say ‘faggot’ a lot and it just bugs me.”
The immense diversity in colloquial language raises a few interesting questions: what impacts slang, and in what context is it used? Students have many theories in response to these queries. “Media, TV, radio, Internet, magazines—all these things influence our words,” suggested Sandra Miletovic, a first-year humanities student. Fourth-year history and multimedia student Dwayne Ali said, “All slang is full of euphemisms and we subconsciously pick up words.”
Ahmed credits the evolution of slang to habit. “The more we use a certain word, the more it becomes habit. The more something becomes habit, the more mainstream it becomes. It’s like fashion—the more we get used to it, the more people follow. We’re like that for everything.”
Popham mentioned that slang is a form of social connection, and even a tool for peer pressure. “It’s great if you’re trying to relate to people, but if you get too accustomed to it you might run into problems,” he said. “Slang is contextual, you’ve got to know when to use it, especially for a professional environment like the MSU.”
Mandal confirmed this statement: “If there’s a group of seniors, we don’t use slang, and the juniors don’t speak slang with us. We make sure we use common language so that everyone can understand each other.”
Ahmed proposed age as a context for language use. “In first year I used a lot of slang but now I’ve changed in my expression,” she said. Others argue that culture is the context. “Slang usage depends on who I’m with–I use Korean slang when I’m with Korean people,” said Chang.
Culture, connection, and context aside, it all comes down to the strength of language and its colloquialisms. “I think language is overrated,” proclaimed Conrad. Bhattacharya added, “Slang doesn’t affect me very much.” And maybe that’s why people just don’t think about it. The majority of people interviewed stated that they were not conscious of the language they used on a daily basis—rather, it all just slips out.
“Slang is becoming more and more accepted, there’s so much of it,” said Ali. Ahmed agreed: “I just get so caught up in language—it’s something I hear and that makes sense to me; I don’t have to consciously process words because I just know what they mean when I hear them.”
Still, it’s hard to ignore the weight of a word. “Language is not just a means of communication, it’s a means of expressing thoughts and emotions,” said Ahmed. “I think a lot of people think it’s superficial, but it’s a tool and it’s very powerful. It’s used in speeches, in interviews–it makes a first impression and people judge us all based on how we talk. Slang has a lot of power.”
Which ultimately makes it a sensitive tool. “It’s a really confusing line, because most people try to be politically correct but words change and their acceptability changes in time and in context,” said Popham. “So the question is, should slang be used even if it is considered offensive to some but accepted by others?”
Think about it—it’s all in a word.
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