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| 2.26.2007 |
| On The Formulation and Usage of Words |
The following is copied from a notebook I keep in my purse for jotting down thoughts which oftentimes evolve into short essays. Here we go.
Who first put forth the socially accepted dictionary definition of 'arbitrary'? As with all definitions presented, the agreed-upon meaning of 'arbitrary' is, in itself, arbitrary. So when someone says they are 'reclaiming' a word, what really is there to claim? I could decide that the word 'happy' manes 'filled with virulent anger'. Who is in a place to argue a counterinterpretation when theirs is equally arbitrary? The published definition of a word is simply the most commonly accepted.
In this mindset, one could entirely picture the complete and total subversion of modern linguistics. If the writers of the major newspapers and the anchors of the major news networks decided that "chicken" was a definite article and books were called "fries", the public would have no choice but to begin to accept the redefinitions in order to stay in touch with the world around them.
One might believe that this need to keep up with lingua popular is akin to the morphing aspect of slang. "Groovy" and "hip" and "far out" have fallen out of popular use since the end of the 1960s and 70s. When was the last time you called someone a jive turkey? Didn't think so. In the 80s we got tubular and your leg warmers were totally radical. In the 90s you were bummed out (bummer, man) in your acid washed jeans. The phrases in this contemporary day are items like "I heart you" or "fo shizzle". The introduction end evolution of slang terminology that hence permeates our modern vocalisation and usage is quite a baffling topic. Where does it come from?
Media influence in this matter is profoundly staggering. As Paris Hilton coined 'that's hot' or Juelz Santana popularised 'no homo', and websites such as UrbanDictionary.com gained popularity, the lingua popular of this day and age becomes something of a game of Tips --- bouncing back and forth, our language variables feeding off of one another's. Many (American) people I know have begun calling their mothers 'mum' and spelling words the British way simply because one person, and then two people, and soon many people caught the fever that is British slang. Movies and music start the trends. When Snoop Dogg began the appending of -izzle to a word in his songs, who could ever know that it would shape our youth culture?
A culture where 'fo shizzle mah nizzle' actually means something.
There is, in fact, the perfect portmanteau in existence to categorise and label this: slanguage. Not officially recognised by Merriam-Webster, as most slang is not. It would become increasingly difficult to stay accurate, the way slanguage exists: as a living, breathing entity constantly and incessantly rewriting and reinventing itself. "Far out". "Bodacious". "Jammin'". Gone with the raging tides of our world.
Slanguage.Labels: language, linguistics, slang, words |
posted by Ianthe. @ 9:58 PM  |
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Tears Shall Drown The Wind |
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