A new way to look at slang...

[Patron with a Mission]

I found this in the Psychology Today website.

Are these points about slang valid? I'm not a big fan of slang, but this article seems to put slang in a good light. What do you all think?  

[Feather Kana]

Slang is a touchy subject.

I don't like the last implication, that slang helps to dehumanize people and not care about them.

(Like using the word retard too casually. I avoid that word. Dip, feeb, etc. It is worse than bad when such things end up making a person uncaring about those different from them. You end up lumping anyone by one term and you'll forget to look at them as individuals, which helps no one.)

On the other hand, invented slang does take some creativity, and being fluent at it can slap you in with the "in crowd". Problem is: Do you WANT to be with the incrowd? Or be your own person?

Yes, I do occassionally let slip a slang word here and there; I am from central Iowa and just imagine what kinds of words are part of our vocabulary that are not found in New York or San Francisco. Being a stickler for good grammer, though, I never got too far into "slangspeak".

...Well, not unless you count the kind of talk that evolves in restaraunts. They tend to invent their own terms, and I've worked in fast food places that use words I don't hear elsewhere.  

[Patron with a Mission]

Hmm...you bring up a good point.

Anyone else have an opinion?  

[Natsuri]

dameonmac5918

Hmm...you bring up a good point.

Anyone else have an opinion?

My sister constantly exposes me to more slang from the urban world, so I'm merely impartial to it. Nothing completely for or against it, however.

Slang, jargon, and other informal terms are added to the U.S. English language more frequently than ever.  

[iJazzy]

I think slang will never be seen as good to me. If it's not in the dictionary or whatever, then why use it? xd

What really ticks me off is how when people say "yo" and "playa" they don't even know what it means. "Yo" is the Spanish word for "I" and "playa" is the Spanish word for "beach" or something like that. But I don't know. People tend to ignore these things.  

[Anye5]

I think that a person should know slang because not knowing it makes that person look ignorant. I even sometimes use slang. But I think that the most important thing is the respect factor. The article said that soliders used the terms to make their lives and jobs easier. But there is a difference between that and just talking in slang because you want to fit in. I think that slang is important to define people as a culture or to show views, but there is slang, and then there are just stupid speaking habits. New words some aorund because someone had to make them up. Derogitory terms are pointless, but sometimes slang or made up words give feeling to a situation or conversation. I'll sometimes make up words because they sound better than the words that actually exist. I don't use those words regularly, and I do use the best speaking habits I can. But slang classifies people and sets them apart in their own way. If other people need to use slang for reasons such as work or talking with friends, fine. Just keep good habits, don't put other people down, and know the difference between talking with your best friends and talking with your boss or the president. Care about how you speak and what words you use. Slang doesn't bother me on its own, its the attitude that people who speak correctly are snobs and "I'm so cool because I mess wit yo speechifyin and talkityness." If you are a normal person you can speak normally, so do it. Slang is fine when it doesn't hurt other people and it doesn't kill off brain cells. But it belongs in personal conversations with other people who talk in that fashion. Everyone else deserves to know what you are trying to say.  

[ChibiStarlet]

I think I agree for the most part with Anye5, and also think that in the article, it's talking about a very specific kind of slang, and it serves very specific psychological functions. And that's a good thing. In general, I think slang is fine as long as you can distinguish when it's ok to use it and when it's not, and what kind of slang might be offensive and what would not be.  

[Patron with a Mission]

The only slang my friends and I will use mainly appiles to gaming or to technology...but honestly, talking slang so you can feel better about yourself just isn't right...at least not in my opinion.  

[Rutoh-Chan]

I think that there is slang and then there is communication. Abbreviations are not technically slang, but sometimes people use them in their speech. I have a crazy friend that speaks in IM abbreviations like "brb" and "gj". I'm not kidding. That is a bit overbord, but if, like dameonmac5918 said, your speaking in terms of technology, writing, teaching, etc. there is nothing wrong with having terms that apply to a trade or hobby. It shows a connection and dedication to the activity.  

[Cherished Strawberries]

I think that there are different kinds of slang: the slang people use to make themselves look tough (ghetto slang), the slang that refers to a certain trade or profession which lets you take less time to get your message to people who need to know and also understand (trade slang), the slang that people use with their friends because everyone knows what you're talking about already (selective slang), and the slang that people use because they don't know what else to say and can't use good grammar (illiterate slang).

Basically, in my mind trade slang and selective slang are okay and useful when used in the proper setting and with the proper knowledge of what everything means. Ghetto slang and illiterate slang just make people look stupid and serves no purpose whatever. Whenever people use ghetto and illiterate slang, they are just proving how stupid and ignorant they really are. If you can't talk right then don't talk at all. There is a time and place for everything, including slang, but there is also a time and place for you to use the English language (or whatever your native language is) correctly.  

[Patron with a Mission]

greenrider_calidar

I think that there are different kinds of slang: the slang people use to make themselves look tough (ghetto slang), the slang that refers to a certain trade or profession which lets you take less time to get your message to people who need to know and also understand (trade slang), the slang that people use with their friends because everyone knows what you're talking about already (selective slang), and the slang that people use because they don't know what else to say and can't use good grammar (illiterate slang).

Basically, in my mind trade slang and selective slang are okay and useful when used in the proper setting and with the proper knowledge of what everything means. Ghetto slang and illiterate slang just make people look stupid and serves no purpose whatever. Whenever people use ghetto and illiterate slang, they are just proving how stupid and ignorant they really are. If you can't talk right then don't talk at all. There is a time and place for everything, including slang, but there is also a time and place for you to use the English language (or whatever your native language is) correctly.

eek I never thought of it that way. I learned something today. Yay!  

[Desann4]

Well, I'm not really keen on slang but regarding military terms, it's okay. In case the enemy is spying on them, they can't really understand most of the words.

 

[HoKitsune]

Actually I have to agree with some things. Slang does set you apart and allows others to know where you came from. In Australia, sorry if it is not spelled right, they put the mate at the end of sentences. Canada, some put eh at the end of their sentences. If you came from the Bay Area you might say "yadadamean?" Also some slang is in the dictionary. I'm serious, buy the unabridged version of websters dictionary and you will find slang terms. Why? Society is starting to accept that slang is needed to know. I talk in other games and I txt talk most of the time because it is need. For those who don't know slang they should learn it.  

[Anye5]

greenrider_calidar

I think that there are different kinds of slang: the slang people use to make themselves look tough (ghetto slang), the slang that refers to a certain trade or profession which lets you take less time to get your message to people who need to know and also understand (trade slang), the slang that people use with their friends because everyone knows what you're talking about already (selective slang), and the slang that people use because they don't know what else to say and can't use good grammar (illiterate slang).

Basically, in my mind trade slang and selective slang are okay and useful when used in the proper setting and with the proper knowledge of what everything means. Ghetto slang and illiterate slang just make people look stupid and serves no purpose whatever. Whenever people use ghetto and illiterate slang, they are just proving how stupid and ignorant they really are. If you can't talk right then don't talk at all. There is a time and place for everything, including slang, but there is also a time and place for you to use the English language (or whatever your native language is) correctly.

I think this says what I was trying to get at. And I think that what really needs to be remembered is what you are using slang for. It is partially cultural. And while most of us will swear by never using "gangsta talk", how how many of us were raised saing "cool", "sweet", "nice", or any other regional accepted slang. There are kinds of slang that sound better than others. Casual speech is alright in the proper situations.  

[Dodger Gunning]

One can't argue that slang in general is bad. There are words we don't think twice about using that were once slang, but have now become so ingrained in modern culture that they're impossible to avoid. As Anye5 mentioned, "cool" is one of those words. Most of us use it regularly, but never really stop to think "Wow, that's slang." It's something most Americans, at least, grew up hearing. In most instances, a person wouldn't be faulted for tossing "cool" into a sentence, even if it's frowned upon in an educated setting such as a speech or term paper. But contractions aren't supposed to be used in term papers, either, and I know of no one who would argue that contractions are slang or incorrect grammar.

Some slang grows out of a regional dialect. I'm sure there are some words I use that other people would be confused be, simply because the words are common for my region. Tell most people I'm a Hoosier, and all I'll get for my trouble is a blank stare. Foreign people can't even pronounce it, let alone understand or define it!

I personally have nothing against slang except when used in the extreme, such as the ridiculous "ghetto" language. Half that is made-up words because the people who speak it just aren't educated, often through no fault of their own, but occasionally--such as the ghetto-talkers in my school--they are willfully ignorant. There is no excuse for why students at a four-star school in the suburbs speak "ghetto." That's just plain laziness and, in my opinion, inexcusable.