We’re always picking up new slang. Some slang never really makes the jump between generations, regions, subcultures, even languages, etc. But some do.
One of the most successful slang words is “cool,” which spread from the jazz scene in the 30’s to the general American lexicon in the 50’s, and has basically become such a core part of the English language, even outside of the U.S., that those of us born after don’t even think of it as slang.
Every generation has a few of these, and they might have started in a particular video/movie/TV show/song, some other work, in a certain community among a certain generation, ethnic group (or bilingual speakers who just slowly incorporate calques or loan words from their other language), or other group, and the popularity of that particular word makes the jump to those who might not be familiar with where it comes from.
I was a kid when “my bad” showed up in the basketball world (possibly coined by Dikembe Mutumbo), got picked up by American black teens and spread to other generations and races until it eventually just became part of standard colloquial American English. 10 years after first hearing it, I heard a white boomer college professor use it non-ironically, and I realized that it was just something people of all walks of life just said. Now, 20+ years after that, it’s still going strong.
Thinking back, I think “dude” made a similar jump in the 70’s. The TV show Seinfeld popularized a bunch of phrases that entered the lexicon: “yada yada,” “regift,” maybe “shiksa.” “Clean” as an aesthetic descriptor probably became popular after Outkast’s 2000 hit “So Fresh, So Clean,” even if the song itself reflected existing cultural usage. Post 2010, I’m guessing “sus” has staying power, and definitely jumped generations, largely off of the brief “Among Us” popularity.
“Yeet” and “rizz” have stuck around a bit longer than fleeting teen slang usually does, but it remains to be seen which Gen Z teenage words actually survive regular usage into the 2040’s. I’m guessing the ones that get featured in a popular song or TV show are the ones that have the highest likelihood of long term survival.
I think you’re on the money with yeet, and I think “af” (as in “Dark Souls is hard af”) still has a fair bit of usage considering how old it is and how cringe it was for a while.
Cringe, too, for that matter, although I still think “cringey” is better
We’re always picking up new slang. Some slang never really makes the jump between generations, regions, subcultures, even languages, etc. But some do.
One of the most successful slang words is “cool,” which spread from the jazz scene in the 30’s to the general American lexicon in the 50’s, and has basically become such a core part of the English language, even outside of the U.S., that those of us born after don’t even think of it as slang.
Every generation has a few of these, and they might have started in a particular video/movie/TV show/song, some other work, in a certain community among a certain generation, ethnic group (or bilingual speakers who just slowly incorporate calques or loan words from their other language), or other group, and the popularity of that particular word makes the jump to those who might not be familiar with where it comes from.
I was a kid when “my bad” showed up in the basketball world (possibly coined by Dikembe Mutumbo), got picked up by American black teens and spread to other generations and races until it eventually just became part of standard colloquial American English. 10 years after first hearing it, I heard a white boomer college professor use it non-ironically, and I realized that it was just something people of all walks of life just said. Now, 20+ years after that, it’s still going strong.
Thinking back, I think “dude” made a similar jump in the 70’s. The TV show Seinfeld popularized a bunch of phrases that entered the lexicon: “yada yada,” “regift,” maybe “shiksa.” “Clean” as an aesthetic descriptor probably became popular after Outkast’s 2000 hit “So Fresh, So Clean,” even if the song itself reflected existing cultural usage. Post 2010, I’m guessing “sus” has staying power, and definitely jumped generations, largely off of the brief “Among Us” popularity.
“Yeet” and “rizz” have stuck around a bit longer than fleeting teen slang usually does, but it remains to be seen which Gen Z teenage words actually survive regular usage into the 2040’s. I’m guessing the ones that get featured in a popular song or TV show are the ones that have the highest likelihood of long term survival.
I think you’re on the money with yeet, and I think “af” (as in “Dark Souls is hard af”) still has a fair bit of usage considering how old it is and how cringe it was for a while.
Cringe, too, for that matter, although I still think “cringey” is better
Edit: I predict “low key” will stick around, too.