Slang is something that has always been around and always will be. “Shook”, “dope”, and “lit” are all thing I have said in the past decade and there seems to be a new on every week, so where do they come from and how do they catch on so quickly?
According to D.W. Maurer, slang is defined as “unconventional words or phrases that express either something new or something old in a new way”. Meaning these words come from existing words or phrases and flipped to mean something new, making it easy to create a new slang word. Even though the origin of slang is pretty obscure, it can be traced back to the 1800’s newsprint in London, although I’m sure people have been using it since the beginning of spoken word.
These days it’s easier to spread new words and phrases through the use of social media, I see it everyday. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. slang is absolutely everywhere. It also helps in the case that you can’t figure out what a new slang means.
What are some of the most popular slang? It all depends on who you are. Some words belong to different groups because of race or religion. These words had or have racist intent so these groups have taken them back and use them in a positive way. I think this is important because it creates a positive out of negativity.
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