Is Slang Taking Over?

Slang stands for short language. When people speak in slang they are speaking English, but with many short cuts. People are verbally talking in slang, and text in slang which is affecting the English language. People are “forgetting” the English language and are speaking slang instead. Some say that it may affect people in the future and others don’t.This is affecting not only children but adults too.

To prove that the slang wasn’t only affecting children but adults, Emily Matash,33 year old, and Steve Drinkert, 45 year old, both took a slang test to test how much slang words do they know. Also, there were four other teenagers Alirida Noureddine, and Zeinab Jouni both 8th graders. While,Houda Al-Bazzal and Hussein Saad both 7th graders. All of them had the same test, which not all passed but not all failed.Some expected their grade while others didn’t.”I am disappointed and surprised that I didn’t get 11/13 because that is what I was looking forward to get,” states Hussein Saad sadly. While Emily Matash saw it coming,“I thought I would get the 12/13 because I had a feeling for most of the questions that I would get them correctly while others not so good, but all in all I was close with a 10/13.”

“I speak slang probably a few times a day” Houda Al-Bazzal states honestly. Houda also says that she speak slang to show emotion or shock or give her words fun “bounce”. There are positive and negative effects towards slang. One positive effect is that it can help you express an emotion you won’t be able with just words. Emily Matash states a negative effects she has noticed on her students ,“Children never know when the appropriate time is and when it isn’t the appropriate time to speak slang.” Steve Drinkert says agreeingly, “ Slang is effecting the english language in a negative way, because people are being extremely lazy-creative, but mostly lazy. People should learn the language correctly than speaking slang too often.”

As we get older we follow what we have been taught from a little age. Zeinab says,“ Yes, slang is affecting kids, because kids at a little age try find the easiest way to speak and as they start to age they will keep speaking the way they have been since they were little” Others may disagree with Emily Matash, Steve Drinkert,and Zeinab Jouni. “No, it isn’t effecting the English language because all they people are doing is changing up some words but not all the words which means they still know English but with some “easy cuts”.”

People speak slang daily while others don’t because they don’t want to get used to it.“ I don’t speak slang very often but one thing is for sure is that I hear it very often.” Emily Matash says. There isn’t a specific percentage of people in the world that speak slang, but one this is for sure that that percentage of slang use is increasing daily as new slangs are made-up. There are two major ways people use slang and that is texting and verbally talking. “I use slang when I am talking to friends and when I’m texting so I can let the person I’m texting know how I feel,” Zeinab Jouni says. Alirida Noureddine says “ I don’t speak much slang when I talk, but surely do when I text.”

“Slang is a Language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on it’s hands, and goes to work.”  – American Writer

 

Suha Aldura

Unis Middle School Journalist

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