U of T has a department devoted to sausage parties, fru-frus and skanks. Well, not quite, but those involved in socio-linguistics get pretty close, examining how we use words—even those that never find their way into a dictionary.
As a part of our language, slang is always in transition, but its purpose remains the same: to distinguish the people you want to associate with from those you wish you’d never met. Slang exists because people need to mark themselves as part of the in-group. Using markers like the clothes they wear and the words they use helps them to be identified with their group of choice.
“[Slang] is important among adolescents in high school and in the early years of university who are bent and determined to separate themselves from the bosom of the family,” explains Jack Chambers, a professor of socio-linguistics at U of T.
Socio-linguistics studies the social uses of slang—what phrases are in use at the moment and why. For the last ten years in his third year “Language Variation” class, his students’ first assignment has been to gather the slang they hear and write up citations for them.
“I ask them to write down new, unusual, ephemeral words and then at the end of the year I take the best and put it in a slang bag circulated in class,” Chambers divulges.
One of the things that Chambers has found while charting the slang used by his students for ten years is that it fits within a definite thematic pattern.
An entire decade’s worth of students have proven to have the two same main interests: sex and parties.
“Sex and intoxication and social gatherings are what the slang is usually centred on,” says Chambers, “They are recognized as the predilections of the people bringing this slang to my class.”
Words like “stewfest” (a party with alcohol), “pished” (inebriated, drunk) or “sausage party” (a party with more men than women) have all found their way into the annals of the socially accepted phrases of Chambers’ students.
Another consistent theme is names for people who are not a part of the in-group.
“[The labelling of] ‘losers’ is very important in the teenage years. It is a sign of unforgiving social milieu,” Chambers explains.
“You are either in or out, and if you’re not in then you’re a nerd, a jerk, a dork.”
There are a large number of words for those who exist outside of the centre of the social world: “oinker” (someone who eats excessively), “skank,” “sleaze-bag,” “fag-bag” (someone who smokes a lot), “butt-bag” or “ho-bag.” The “bag” collection of words is very popular.
More embarrassing than not knowing what a certain phrase means is using a piece of slang that is ancient and therefore unused. A general rule to live by is as soon as you hear your parents using it (even as a joke), it’s time to lay the phrase to rest. There’s also the risk that it might get over-used in pop culture. If someone asks you for the “4-1-1” it might be a good time to turn and run.
“Slang is ephemeral, meaning it comes and goes. It’s the most superficial layer of language,” says the professor.
Every year one word is handed in by almost everyone and for his 2000 class, lifted right out of the pages of Seventeen magazine or YM, the phrase was 24-7 (e.g. “My rents are on my case, like, 24-7—they never leave me alone”). Only if your friends actually enjoy this kind of magazine should you attempt this gibberish; otherwise you run the risk of being beaten up.
“It’s almost certainly doomed when it’s that popular,” claims Chambers. “You have to learn how to use it when it’s popular and then learn not to use it as soon as it becomes old-fashioned. Many people are marked for using old-fashioned slang.”
Phrases that come and go really quickly are often words that have news value.
The word “Ellen” was submitted in 1998 as slang for a lesbian, referring to Ellen Degeneres. Even though no one probably uses this any more, the people polled on the street did have an idea of what it meant.
Chambers related the word’s moment of currency to pop culture, which is one of the keys to picking up the newest slang. Take in as many sitcoms, music videos and movies as you can, because they have a constant effect on the process of word formation.
Although pop culture is an important source, it is still run on the ideas of people, so everyone can produce their own mutations of language.
“People don’t count on script writers for [new word-formation],” Chambers asserts. “They are more ingenious than that.”
One note on the sample slang given here: as a testament to how ephemeral slang can be, the most recent of these words and phrases are from last year’s class, which means that by now most of them are probably not as common as they used to be. As a result I would not recommend trying to randomly insert them into your conversation.
In the end the best advice is to use what comes naturally, since language is hardly ever a self-conscious process and you will probably sound like a bigger dork attempting to sound like someone you’re not.
Ever had the feeling that the person who just inserted that esoteric bit of slang into the conversation had even less idea what it meant than you did? Well, you were right. Some random campus folk prove herein that we’re all just guessing.
Chillax
A verb that is a blend of chill-out and relax.
“A combination between chilling and relaxing.” —Ceri Evans
“Chill-out.” —Jeff Cameron
Puck
A version of jock (male obsessed with athletics) except it’s more likely to do with hockey [1999].
“Maybe someone who gets pushed around a lot” —Alan Castel
“No idea” —Nelli Matveeva
24-7
Constantly, always, all the time.
“All day, all week” —Andrew Harapa
“24 hours a day, 7 days a week” —Nelli Matveeva
Ellen
“If we go clubbing some Ellens will try to pick us up” [1998] Ellen Degeneres
“A lesbian” —Mark Pahuta
“It’s a slang version of Helen of Troy, so if someone’s an Ellen they’re more or less a slut” —Nicholas Koppel
“I thought of Ellen Degeneres, so it would be a lesbian” —Ceri Evans
Flinstones
Conservative, backward, old people.
“An old fart”—Mark Pahuta
“Old fashioned” —Alan Castel
“Someone set in their ways” —Ceri Evans
“Equivalent to calling someone a dinosaur” —Nicholas Koppel
Frufru Excessively frilly. (eg.”I have some fru-fru pink stuff in the closet.”)
“Really flamboyant” – Andrew Harapa
“A reference to someone’s masculinity” – Alan Castel
“A hairstyle” – Ceri Evans
“A speech impediment when people are trying to say ‘through, through a door'” – Nicholas Koppel
Skag
An unkempt woman [1996] Skank —promiscuous woman
“Male skank” – Jeff Cameron
“Hag” – Mark Pahuta
“Someone unrefined, rough around the edges” – Alan Castel
“A kind of drug” – Nicholas Koppel
