English Language Examination: Slang for the College Age

As in any language, slang reflects the experiences, beliefs and values of its speakers. Yet, college slang is not a complete language. College slang doesn't contain terms for everything the student discusses. However, items that are frequently encountered by college students or are important to college life are often given slang symbols. There are many terms to say something is good or bad and to evaluate persons positively or negatively. College slang is also descriptive and contains many symbols for the opposite sex, money, type of performance, relationships, intoxication and college places. Slang takes its' form depending on the circumstance or situation that it is being utilized. Slang is more than a noun though. Like communication in general, slang is a process. This means slang is also a verb. We slang as well as speak slang. The process of slanging involves the creation and use of slang. It may entail both nonverbal and verbal cues. For example, the intonation with which a term is spoken can transport it from standard English to slang. Slanging characterizes a communication environment as casual and familiar. Slang is derived from different levels of syntax, lexicon, morphology and a bit of phonology. (Sanders)

Slang has long been an integrated part of American English, for the creation of slang is by its' very nature is a social and group process. The transmission of slang among a group depends on either the mobility of the group or the availability of mass communication such as newspapers, magazines, radio, movies, and television to name a few sources. Slang has an important social aspect that develops more intellectually and purposely in the college student. This is the time in a person's life when they are creating relationships and developing characteristics that will become a part of them for the rest of their life. In choosing to use certain types of slang, a college student identifies himself or herself with a particular group or way of life.

Typically, slang is used in informal environments and avoided in formal settings such as using it at work or in the classroom. This is because use of slang in such circumstances could result in the speaker being evaluated negatively and the desire to avoid negative evaluation is high among college slang speakers. To use slang with mere acquaintances or strangers could result in disapproval and so is avoided. Excessive use of slang by simple acquaintances is almost always viewed unfavorably. (Sanders, Dunn)

Looking at slang's lexicon is necessary to understanding the way some slang terms are used when looking at them from outside of the group or college community. How frequently a word is used and how long a word lasts are both indications of how hard a word works. Another such indicator is the number of meanings a word is given. When you consider the diversity of words that can be replaced by a particular slang term, two terms come out on top as the hardest working in college slang: trip and dog. (Sanders)

A study at California State Polytechnic University produced different ways that the two words are used in within the college language. The word trip is a chameleon with multiple uses of it discovered from both the California State Polytechnic University dictionaries and the UCLA dictionaries recorded it in 1972 to mean a very good or very bad experience (Eble). However, it probably made its appearance in college vocabulary in the 1960s associated with LSD experiences (Dalzell). Today it contains many different meanings.

"The most common use of trip these days involves a characterization of something as unusual/strange or extreme. That dude's a trip [strange]. My rents started to trip [overreact] when I said I needed more k to get my books. Beyond that trip can indicate actual outrage or raging. He tripped when I told him the concert was gonna be two hundred dollars. Trip can also imply that someone is acting out of character: Dr. Smith is always on time but today he was trippin' and came to class ten minutes late. Trip can signify not making sense. I know I'm going to fail the test because I was trippin' when I was writing the essays. Trip can be used to indicate disagreement. Why are you trippin' about my idea? It can also imply a common state for college students: being overwhelmed. I've got 4 midterms this week so I'm trippin'. Trip can refer to a state of excitement and craziness. I always trip out when I see "Star Wars." And, it can be used to describe someone who has the characteristics of being intoxicated (on drugs or alcohol). Everybody at the party was trippin'. (Sanders)"

The notion of a trip with a definition of a very pleasant experience seems to have faded from college slang and developed into a multitude of uses seen within the college realm.

Another term that has a multitude of meanings within the lexical domain is the word dog. It was found by Eble in 1972 to mean an unattractive female, but this is not the only use that it will take on in reference to people.

"My dogs are barking (my feet are hurting). He's my dog (friend). She dogged me (stood me up) last night. Don't date him; he's a dog (uses women). She's such a dog (liar); she said she got an "A" on that test. My boss dogged me (criticized me sharply) for being 10 minutes late. Did you see his date? She's a dog (unattractive person)! That exam was a dog (bad thing). They were dogging (teasing) me about my ride. (Sanders)"

The term dog has both positive and negative connotations within use on a college campus. The researchers at California State Polytechnic University see it with a lexical in reference to being used as a noun, verb, and even an adjective. Dog has clearly changed from previous use where many people outside of the college community would not recognize its uses without the help of an interpreter, AKA: your college student.

What one first observes with regard to core slang morphology are the violations of the normal rules of word formation in standard speech. These violations may be related to use of affixes that are rare or absent in standard English or affixes which are novel or functionally fossilized in standard English. The term phat is used very often today by college students of all cultures. The morphology of using ph instead of f to express the same sound of the word is an interesting issue. In a recent study by Tom Dazell, the term phat is researched into extent. Phat at first glance is a virgin slang word, an inventive new superlative (meaning either sexy or cool) conceived of and delivered in the rap idiom of the hip-hop culture. An example would be: that girl is phat. Another example is: You got a new car, that's phat. In the fall 1994 issue of American Speech, John and Adele Algeo postulate that phat may have been devised as an acronym for "Pretty Hips And Thighs"; others have speculated that it was drawn from "physically attractive." If you forget the spelling, though, and look at fat, the explanation is probably a lot simpler. (Dalzell)

Rap is standard listening in the college dorm and the term phat is used numerous times throughout many popular songs. Given the relatively later change to phat in rap literature, one has to wonder at how this quirky spelling arose and how students knew this idiosyncratic spelling of a word that would have been often spoken but rarely written. Playing with the ph morphology when being used in college life is evident, where now one can see the word funky now written as phunky , taking on a whole new meaning. In looking at the original word funky, one comes to think of the disco era of the 1970s. To still use terminology from that era to describe something of today would be irrelevant to the college society, and probably also be considered very out of date. By changing the spelling to phunky, it takes on a whole new lexical meaning. Now when reading a popular magazine or newspaper article, the use of phunky can be referred to a real good hip-hop song. An example would be: Check out the new Missy Elliot album and move to her phunky new beats. The reference to the 1970s is gone and now it is updated and in use once again because of the its' morphological change from f to ph.

One phrase that combines syntax, lexicon, and elements of morphology that is used all over college campuses and high schools alike is da bomb. It is one of the most popular phrases used in conversation among friends. Da bomb means either great or awesome, but is something altogether different than just simply saying great. Substituting da in place of the is the reason that the phrase has become so popular. It shares the emotional experience that might otherwise take several sentences to explain. The morphology from the to da has added emphasis to the phrase allowing it to stand on its own. It also promotes a new feeling to the phrase and makes it different from what the rest of the population would use. To say, that party was da bomb is more than merely saying it was a very good party. It fits into the type of life a college student lives when describing the exciting experience of partying for the first time in many peoples' lives. The lexicon of creating a new word to replace the is also unique because it is the first time that a significant change has been made to that word and its meaning. Da is now a word of that can have its own definition and has been created in the process of using slang in place of common words. Bomb clearly does not mean what it has been defined as in the past. It has no connection to warfare or military items. Bomb has now taken on a positive term, as opposed to it used as a term associated with war, being used to relate to a positive experience. Da bomb creates for slang users a more intense reference point incorporating the literal aspect of a bomb exploding in connection with feelings of excitement and power that can be described in those two simple words. (Sanders)

Phonology is what makes certain slang words sound unique and definitive. Most people would recognize the terms shlurp or oomph, but are also used commonly in a college setting when defining an action with more feeling behind it. An example of abnormal sound-sequence in American slang is the verb shlurp, meaning: to drink noisily or sloppily, especially when chugging a beer. The sound sequence /Sl-/ occurs in no other English verb. And among nouns it is only found in such German loanwords as Schloss or the Yiddish Schlemiel. Another example is the noun oomph, meaning: vivacity, energy or sexual magnetism, used in reference to asking if one's friend had enough energy with a member of the opposite sex. Not only is the initial /u/ abnormal here (before two consonants initially), but so is the sequence of /mf/. The two terms have distinct phonological meanings that are necessary for comprehending the word. If the words were spoken the way that they are spelled, the words would not have the same emotions behind them.

Slang makes its way into the prevailing cultures by rising in popularity from its origins within any given subculture. Slang as a language is ephemeral, coming into existence and diminishing at a much quicker rate than general vocabulary. Words can either be very short-lived or may remain in common usage through generations, however the meanings of these words often change dramatically. With certain slang terms only lasting for a brief period, one will always look back and remember the times when they were used. A college experience lasts only for a short time in the lives of many, leaving only the memories of the times past. Slang terms can be associated with the time of a person's life when they began to discover themselves and explore different ways to express their emotions.

Works Cited

1. Dalzell, T. Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang. 1996 Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc.

2. Dunn, Carey and Mckenzie, Brian SLANG! 3 December 2002.

3. Eble, C. Slang and sociability: In-group language among college students 1996 Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.

4. Sanders, Judi The College Slang Page 2 December 2002