As an English Language student, I'm forever discovering that our language evolves with time, and that it shifts and molds to fit the needs of the society it is spoken in. Some love this, and embrace the gems of creativity in the language. Others hate it and think we should all speak Queen's English all the time. I...well, I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm all for language changing and evolving but I think there are points where you need to define exactly what's appropriate; like, not dropping S-bombs with your teacher or your boss (not that I would drop an S-bomb as I don't tend to swear much), or watching that you write in standard English as opposed to text-talk if you want to be taken seriously. Hence why I dnt blog liek dis, its 2 mch liek the txts i sent wen i wz 12. Bravo if you could read that without hearing a whiny childish voice in your head, because I certainly couldn't.
What I don't mind too much is slang. Funny, because the word 'slang' is actually a blend of the phrase "shortened language". So slang is slang for slang. Isn't that brilliant? Of course you have to be conscious that not everyone has the same slang dictionary as you do, and while you delve into your wallet to find that precious fiver, the Australian on the other side of the world digs around for their Pink Lady.
I can already think of a few people in my world who would wince at the thought of a five-dollar note being referred to as a Pink Lady, as they may be pink, but they're not ladies; they're pieces of paper with monetary value. When you think about it logically, it stops making sense, as do many of the terms I am about to list. So enough of me blabbing... Let's begin.
1: "Sick!"
This one cheeses off my poor father no end. He can't understand why something amazing is referred to as, literally, ill. Can't say I don't agree with him, even though I use it quite a lot. And saying that I hang my head and go join my street brethren.
2: "Wicked!"
Another weird way of saying "great", even if it isn't used as much these days. You're saying something you like is evil, has a green face and rides on a broom singing 'Defying Gravity'?
3: "You're off your rocker!"
What rocker? What is a rocker anyway? Do I have one? Did I fall off it?
4: "S/he's FIT."
Okay, seriously, who the heck thought of this one? Yeah, s/he's healthy and physically able. Just like your PE teacher.
5: "Mint!"
This is the same as wicked and sick. You're basically saying something you like is a herb used in toothpaste and mojito drinks. Well, it does make your mouth cool... Hey, maybe I can coin a new phrase here! Cool as mint! ...No?
6: "Chill..."
No, I will not! I'd rather continue freaking out than freeze to death, thank you very much!!
7: "This is my jam!"
No. No it's not. It's music. It's not a fruit preserve. And it's probably not yours either. So SHUT UP.
8: "It's shark week..."
Some may know what this means and some may not, and it's one I use regularly. But dear me, if sharks attacked me for week I think I'd probably die. Oh wait. I do practically die during shark week. Never mind.
9: "Got dough?"
Yeah, it's baking in the oven, the bread'll be ready in an hour or so! What do you mean you'll pay me back?
10: "I'm feeling a bit salty."
Salty? Did you just get out of the sea or something?
Okay, okay, I'm in rant mode now, so I'll stop. There is nothing wrong with people who use these terms, and nothing wrong with the terms themselves. I use nearly all of them on a regular basis. I'm just questioning as to why we don't tend to have any slang terms that actually make logical sense. Like...here's an example. The sixth-form café/food kiosk at my school is called the Abbey Bite, and a few of us have just shortened it to the Bite. THAT makes sense. "Aw yeah blud, that's a sick jam, innit?" does not.
