Like, I literally can’t even understand myself sometimes. Recently, I’ve noticed myself use ‘teenspeak’ — words and phrases like “literally,” “the tea,” “slaps,” and “like” — and I’m not the only one. Teenspeak can be heard just about anywhere in MLHS, from the lobby to the library. The random shouts of “bruh” and “sister” throughout the hallways are hard to miss.
A few weeks ago, I sent out a survey to students that made it clear that “like” is by far the most commonly used teenspeak word at MLHS. Unsurprisingly, other popular answers were “literally” and “bruh.”
Is teenspeak a problem with Gen Z? Or is “spilling the tea” in 2019 the same as “getting the dirt” in the 1970s? In other words, is teenspeak common to each generation, and not unique to Gen Z at all? Probably.
“If you look back through history, each era forms its own slang… for someone during the 1950s to say something is ‘boogying’ is the same thing as someone in 2019 saying something is ‘gucci,’” one respondent noted.
Some say it’s a bad trend while others say there’s no issue. Maybe so. When teens talk to their peers, of course teenspeak will be used. TEENspeak has its name for a reason — it is for teens conversing with other teens. But does teenspeak have a place in a more academic or professional setting? Probably not. But that’s for you to decide.
By Elizabeth Hirschfeld (’21)
Our Changing Language
Over hundreds of thousands of years, language has evolved to accommodate and express almost every conceivable idea. For example, the English that we speak today would seem completely foreign to an English-speaker from, say, the thirteenth century. Therefore, the development of words and phrases to fit the zeitgeist is inevitable, and frowning upon those who innovate is stubborn.
Some seem to forget that there is a difference between formal and informal language, and that colloquial speech does not always have to comply with what is grammatically or linguistically correct. Though some grammatical and structural elements should be adhered to for the sake of comprehension, there is no real restriction on how we should express ourselves.
Many adults and some students look down upon the use of popular phrases such as ‘facts,’ ‘on god,’ or the infamous ‘literally’ because these phrases are incorrect; however, I would argue the opposite. Although these phrases should almost never be used formally, they certainly work well in informal settings.
Each phrase can add impact and sensation to an otherwise dull sentence. Take, for instance, this sentence: “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” Using some of the aforementioned phrases, the sentence becomes: “The quick brown fox literally jumped over the lazy dog, on god.” See how that sentence stands out and, quite honestly, sounds funnier?
Additionally, the use of new and unique language can be seen throughout history. The word ‘cool’ can denote a low temperature, but it has evolved to also mean “desirable, fashionable, worthy of respect.” In Old English, a ‘villain’ is a farmhand, but in modern English, a villain is an antagonist: an enemy. Named after the grooves on a vinyl record, ‘groovy’ describes something interesting and exciting. Even the term ‘slang’ itself is an abbreviation of ‘shortened language’!
A final, less common lament: the blending of words, like ‘a whole nother’ and ‘guesstimate.’ Though these phrases are absolutely horrific and I cannot associate with you if you regularly say these, I will defend your right to say them. In fact, the former is a classic example of ‘rebracketing,’ a linguistic phenomenon where the letters in a word change position over time. You would probably call an amphibious salamander ‘a newt,’ but the animal was once an ewt. More examples include ‘an umpire’ (a numpire), ‘an apron’ (a napron), and ‘a nickname’ (an ekename). Got all that?
After all, language is meant to change. English is what we make of it, so slang and humorous language should be seen as innovation, not laziness. Judging others based on their speech, particularly in informal settings, devalues the emphasis and color that popular lingo adds to speech. Without change and innovation, language becomes, like, totally lame, dude. You feel me?
By Conrad Lewis (’22)
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