In general, slang has always been one of the most distinguishable traits of the youth. According to Oxford Languages, slang is “a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people.” Teenage slang is most likely defined by Internet culture as new phrases and words appear left and right through the spreading of content across social media and applications. Expert Tom Dalzell asserted that slang is a huge core of the youth and is difficult for adults to regulate its various forms. Dalzell’s assertion is valid as slang does indeed shape the generation’s identity, symbolize a gesture of resistance, and is difficult to be restricted by adult authorities.
First and foremost, slang shapes the generation’s identity. As each generation has its own unique lifestyle and needs, the words they use to talk every day would be different. For example, common slang millennials in the US might use are “swag,” “lit,” and “word”; and an equivalent of those three terms in Generation Z (Gen Z) slang would be “rizz,” “hard,” and “real,” respectively. One could argue that even though both Millenials and Gen Z come from a technological culture, Gen Z’s slang might come off as more immature and cockamamie. A reason for that could be because of the massive number of Gen Z children who now, collectively, have more access and dominance over the Internet. Consequently, a trend in Gen Z slang that could be found commonly is made-up words that stem from actual words. For instance, “rizz” from “charisma,” “sus” from “suspicious,” and “ship” from “relationship”; what is interesting is that all these slang words have either similar meanings or are closely related to the original word they derive from. This forms a culture where a lot of things are shortened and abbreviated, mostly to save time in texting online, which may puzzle older generations, in which trying to understand Gen Z language is like attempting to decode the Dead Sea Scrolls. This trend is also very much prevalent in millennial culture as it was at their time when technology truly marched into the digital age we all live in right now. For example, “LOL,” “LMAO,” and “IDK” are all prominent uses of abbreviations that are used for the convenience of texting, and even Gen Zs continue to use many of the same slang as millennials. On the other hand, there were Generation X (Gen X) and Baby Boomers. Gen X in America was largely characterized by its rock and surf culture, with them using words such as “dude,” “gnarly,” and “(that) rocks.” The relaxed and carefree mood conveyed by their slang captures the essence of their generation. Each generation is like its own group, and the slang is evidence that shows not only how differently they talk, but also how differently they live and be themselves. This aligns with Dalzell’s description of slang being an “emblem of tribe identity” as each generation is like its own tribe and community, with slang being their emblem, or a symbolic tool that holds the members together and represents them as a whole.
Slang not only reflects the unique characteristics of each generation but also captures developing gestures of resistance over time. Young people often enjoy going against the rules that were set up by their previous generations, hence why they create new rules and culture of their own – new slang, too. Take Gen X for example, known for an aspect of their rock, grunge, rebellious, dirtbag culture and using words like “whatever,” “lame,” and “bummer” – all somewhat pejorative words that express feelings of dissatisfaction and not giving a care to anything in the world. This shows a sign of resistance as Baby Boomers have more positive slang like “groovy,” “hip,” and “(it’s a) gas,” as characterized by their peace-promoting generation born right after the Second World War. Gen Z kids also show signs of resistance against their Millennial parents as well. While Gen Z’s rebellious culture is not as exaggerated and overstated as that of Gen X’s, it still shows resistance as Gen Z’s refusal to comply with using the same language as Millenials and Gen X despite them both being a part of the technological era, are very much prevalent, in which division in the communities on the Internet may occur as a result. Additionally, the Gen Z community even created a slang term of their own, “cringe,” which refers to a feeling of disgust usually toward older Internet trends or practices, a sign of resistance as mentioned by Dalzell that is a major component of youth culture.
Lastly, slang is also characterized by how difficult it is to be regulated by adult authorities. Today, slang comes in the form of not only texting and conversing IRL (in real life), but also in music, memes, and media – it is everywhere. With most kids nowadays having a device at their disposal, they engage in content without the supervision of their parents, absorbing a lot of the generation’s culture in the process. All the information has already been hardcoded into this generation’s brains to the point that it is impossible to remove them. The way we all talk every single day has already become a habit stuck with us from as far back as we learned to speak. We often say certain words without even noticing them. Like, Americans use the word “like” before or between other words in their sentences so often that they do so subconsciously. With every generation often being surrounded by other people from the same generation as them, the likelihood of them blending in along with other members of the community is very high. In addition, forms of pop culture and social media also adopt the language used today to appeal to young audiences. It has already been embedded into our lives that it is just not possible for any authority from an older generation to tell us otherwise. Slang has already transcended from just simply spoken words, it is essentially the means of communication within a generation, like a secret set of code that can only be understood within themselves. For a generation, slang not only shapes its identity and signifies its resistance from previous generations, but also is very challenging to be restricted by adult authorities. In conclusion, Tom Dalzell’s assertion is therefore approved based on the evidence above.
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