Slang facts for kids
Slang means words that are very informal. They are often used by a specific group of people or a certain generation. For example, older people might not understand the slang used by younger people. And young people might find older slang words funny or old-fashioned.
Over time, languages change and grow. New words are added much faster than old ones disappear. Slang words often become a regular part of the language over time. When this happens, everyone starts to use them, and they are no longer seen as just "slang."
Contents
How Slang Changes Language
Language tends to get more complex over time. This is because new words join the language quickly. Old words leave much slower. Many slang words eventually become accepted words in the language. They become words that everyone uses.
Slang and History
Sometimes, how we see slang is connected to history and power. For example, after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, people who spoke Latin-based words were seen as more polite. People who spoke older Anglo-Saxon words were sometimes seen as rude. This was a way to make poorer people, who spoke Anglo-Saxon, seem less polite than more powerful people, who spoke Norman French and Latin. This shows how rules about politeness and language can develop. They can even help to keep certain groups of people in power. This is just one example from history where one group's language was called "slang" and another's was called "correct."
People sometimes want language rules to stay the same. They want everyone to use the same words. This is often said to be for better communication. But it can also lead to one group's language being called "correct" and another's being called "slang."
Slang vs. Idioms
An "idiom" can sometimes be slang. But an idiom can also be a metaphor. A metaphor is a phrase that means something different from its literal words. Idioms become a common part of a culture's language.
For example, "kick the bucket" is an idiom. It means to die, but it's not slang. "Spill the beans" is another idiom. It means to tell a secret.
Examples of Slang
Two common examples of slang are 'wassup' and 'dunnoe'.
- 'Wassup' usually means 'What is up?' It's a way of asking, 'How are you?'
- 'Dunnoe' usually means 'I don't know'.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Slang para niños
