By Molly Burke and Raeghan Hilton / Jambar Contributors
Whether it’s telling a stranger their outfit “slays” or asking to “chill out,” with friends, people of all ages and cultures use slang in everyday life.
Nicole Pettitt is an associate professor in Youngstown State University’s Department of English and World Languages. She said slang is nonstandard language.
“That could be words. It could be how people use grammar as well. It could be altered words as well — things that could be exaggerated,” Pettitt said. “It’s typically used in speaking rather than writing, although that is changing right now with texting.”
Sophomore English major Gracie Pesa said she sometimes uses texting acronyms as slang.
“I say ‘slay’ a lot in my daily life,” Pesa said. “I’m not going to say ‘OMG,’ but I probably use ‘LOL’ in my daily life outside of texting.”
Some slang words stand the test of time, and others are only briefly popular. Each semester, Pettitt has students create slang dictionaries, each filled with 50 words and definitions. She said every semester brings something new she didn’t expect.
“Eight years ago, for somebody to say ‘spill the tea’ for gossip was a thing. Now, that doesn’t show up so much on my slang dictionaries. Another one that started to show up probably five years ago was ‘sus.’ That still shows up, but a little bit less,” Pettitt said.
Slang can differ between generations, cultures and locations. It is often used to assert identity.
“It’s giving away information about who you are, what groups you belong to, what groups you don’t belong, social class, gender, race, sexuality, all sorts of pieces,” Pettitt said.
Pesa said she believes there’s a disconnect between generations when it comes to using slang.
“I’ll be saying it around my parents or something, it goes right over their head. They just look at me like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Pesa said.
According to Pettitt, language can be used to create division or find common ground.
“Say we have a younger person who uses some kind of slang that I don’t understand. I have a choice when that happens. I can say, ‘Wow that’s so interesting. Tell me more about what that means, I want to learn.’ I can also choose to say, ‘Oh, you don’t know how to use the language,’” Pettitt said.
Jamba Juice cashier Linda Whittenauer said while slang has changed over time, she uses it to connect with people of all ages.
“Slang today is different from the slang from yesterday because I’m 75. So, our slang had a lot to do with rock and roll and the Beatles and things like that,” Whittenauer said. “I use slang because it just adds color to your conversation. It makes you, you.”
Pettitt said slang is often used in informal situations, but it’s a misconception that it’s improper or bad English.
“In linguistics, there’s only conventional and unconventional. There isn’t bad or better, good and bad,” Pettitt said. “With your friends, it’s conventional to use slang. At the job, it’s unconventional to use slang. So, I think it’s important for people to be encouraged. If you use slang, that’s your choice — and it’s not that you’re not good at English.”
Ryan McNicholas, director of Campus Recreation, said he uses slang differently depending on where he’s at and who he’s talking with.
“I definitely say it to all of our Campus Rec staff here and they just think I’m cringe, but I know it’s straight fire,” McNicholas said. “I know when to be professional and not to be … I’m not going to go into a budget meeting and say ‘Hey, our budget for this quarter is mid or sus.’”
Pettitt said studying how people use slang is important for understanding the way people communicate with each other.
“It’s easy to overlook how people are using language. It’s much more common for us to look at music, fashion, social groups, but think about how people are using language,” Pettitt said. “Slang gives us a window into the lives and cultures of people who are using it, and it’s a unique window.”