Bare Vexed

Text Response

Dear Isabelle Kerr

I am writing to respond and give my opinion towards your article on slang. I agree with some aspects of your article, words like “Twerking, selfie and unlike” do not give an accurate representation of youth culture. These additions to the Oxford dictionary are social trends. The word selfie means “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media”. The fact that they are typically taken with a smartphone, emphasizes the fact that they are just social trends. The advance in technology has allowed us to interact with it in new ways which were not available in the past. The fact that they are social trends consolidates the point that they should not be included in the Oxford dictionary. Older slang words such as “groovy” are not currently used and have been replaced with new slang words. However the use of the Online Oxford dictionary means that it can be edited and words do not become obsolete.

You address a few major issues some people generally have with slang. Many people believe that slang does not accurately portray youth culture and often makes them appear as “yobs”. Although, slang also has its positives that were not addressed in the first  article, slang is often used to caption social trends. You state in the article that you had to investigate why Miley Cyrus was said to have twerked at the MTV awards. This would not have been as efficiently translated if the headline was “ Miley Cyrus danced to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low squatting stance at the MTV video music awards”. In this case slang is used to define a very specific action, but this also has its negatives. As I stated, it captions trends.

I believe that there isn’t anything wrong with slang. During an interview of any type, people of all ages generally understand that the language used, must be formal, as with a change in audience, so does the language appropriate to use. Use of informal language could make the interviewee seem illiterate, however language is defined by the people that speak, so it can not be a defining factor in assessing ones intellect. This makes me question your levels of intellect, as you clearly have in your article.

Slang is in no way, shape or form detrimental to the English Language. In your article you state that “we are in a constant battle to prove whether we are all ASBO wielding yobs”, but the use of slang portrays an important aspect to the English language. An important point to take into account when talking about slang, is that it has a specific audience and it is only an addition to formal language. This can be substituted for a synonym or the definition itself e.g “that girl is a jezzy” can be said formally by saying “that girl is promiscuous”. Such synonyms helps the younger deal with the plasticity of language, which is generally good practice. Great writers such as Shakespeare also used slang terms such as ‘sanctimonious’ and ‘assassination’ in his plays. Writers such as condemned in their time for their use of slang, despite this, their words have earned their place in the dictionary and will be for future generations. So in theory, only time will tell if they are suitable words to be added to the dictionary. Using Shakespeare’s example, it took generations of people utilizing these words before they became acceptable. However text base slang terms should not be added to the dictionary, ‘Srsly’ is an abbreviation of the word ‘seriously’, it is only text based and made to be informal. The addition of slang terms being added to the dictionary is aimed at making slang terms formal however an abbreviation of a currently existing word could only be informal.

The use of slang can also be used as a literary device as it can be used to convey character and culture. Examples of slang terms used in “Of Mice and Men” are: ‘bindle’, meaning a bundle of bedding, and ‘cat house’, referring to a house of prostitution. These terms do not take away from the book but instead give the book a sense of context and culture at the point in time. These terms are included into one of the worlds greatest pieces of literature and are cleverly used to depict the time in which it was written.

To conclude, I believe that the use of slang is fine when used within the boundaries of social context. For example, when speaking with a friend, it is perfectly acceptable to use words you are both accustomed to which may entail slang. Slang is used as a literary device, therefore, who are you to scrutinise the work of great writers such as George Orwell, Shakespeare and Harper Lee. I think you are a literary “opp” (Opp meaning opposition).

Yours faithfully,

Nelson.