[etni] Newest slang keeps teachers and parents on their toes

Newest slang keeps teachers and parents on their toes
Press & Sun-Bulletin - January 28, 2007

'Sup, dawg? Wanna kick it at my crib?

If you can answer those questions, or if you know what's "poppin'" or 
"snappin'" or find yourself frequently uttering "word up," chances are, you 
are a teenager or have recently been one. And chances are, you likely know a 
lot of other words that, for the most part, only other teenagers know.

In fact, there is a mammoth lexicon of words and phrases, growing furiously 
all the time, to express all things teen. Much of it, say those in the know, 
comes straight from hip hop and rap music, music videos and the Internet, 
where places like MySpace.com serve as verbal crockpots teens spoon into, 
every time they open their mouths.

"Language is always changing," said Deborah Tannen, renowned linguist and 
author of "Conversational Style: Analyzing Talk among Friends" and other 
books about how people communicate. "It's never static, and new forms always 
sound odd or wrong before they start sounding normal."

But to the kids, it sounds just right. They seem to thrive on having their 
own codes and words for things that adults don't always understand.

(To read the whole article, go to -
http://www.etni.org/news/newest_slang.htm  )


-----------------------------------------------
Issue #2 of The Rag is now online!!!
http://www.etni.org/etnirag/

Add yourself / Update your entry to "Who's Who on Etni"
http://www.boker.org.il/etni/whoswho.htm
-----------------------------------------------

Other related posts: