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YOUTHSLANG
Chapter 3
Youth Slang
People have been inventing slang forever, and while some slang
words last for centuries, the slang lexicon is always changing.
Each budding generation comes up with its own language or
languages, generally used among peers.
Slang means “words, expressions, and usages [which are] often short-
lived, and are considered unsuitable for formal contact.”54 Much of
current youth slang originates from previous decades and although
most of these terms have not made it into dictionaries, they have
enjoyed long lives. The life of a slang word depends on whether or not
it is adopted by the mainstream or a dominant culture. This is sparked
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While many 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s terms, including those listed in the
table, have been dropped from the youth lexicon, others, like “cool”,
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what the hippies of the 1960s found cool was strikingly different from
what their sophisticated contemporaries, the mods, found cool.
Then Now
coo’/kewl – adj. okay, good.
cool – adj. hip, happening
Still used to mean “hip”
major – adj. really cool majorly – adv. extremely, totally
interj. used to express disappointment or
dang – adj. mighty fine
surprise
chick – n. attractive, hip young woman n. any young woman
“Dude” is another slang term which has been around for a while.
First used in the 1850s in New York to refer to a well dressed male, it
then shifted to mean a city person in the country in the 1890s. In the
1970s, the term was taken up by the surfer subculture to address any
male at all and it became popular in Australian youth circles. Today, it
can even be used to address a female.58
The term phat (awesome, cool) derived from African American
Vernacular English (AAVE or Ebonics), has been a slang term used
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Gen Y and Z slang is not a mishmash of words. Much of youth slang can
be categorised according to shared characteristics. Chapter 1 discussed
two types of youth words used today: contrarian and contradictory. A
common word is flipped to take an opposite meaning (e.g. sick means
great); or a word is used in both its positive and negative connotations
simultaneously. Below, a further five have been identified:
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1. Blended words: Single words made from two words. For example,
“crunk” is a combination of “crazy” and “drunk”, used to describe
someone who is between drunk and crazy.
chillax chill out and relax
credlocks dreadlocks worn for street credibility
wigger a white male who acts like a black male
describes an attractive female (delicious) with a great behind
bootylicious
(booty)
ghetto English (derived from the “bling” often desired in low-
blinglish
income neighbourhoods)
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There is also youth slang used by only one sex to refer to activities.
These words are mainly used by males to refer to activities usually
engaged in by males, such as fast driving, fighting and playing com-
puter games. Burnout, donut, deck, pwn and slaughtered are a few examples.
Youth terms can often be terribly confusing – they have strict rules
with some words, then others (like “crunk”, for example) can be used by
both males and females, referring to a member of the same or opposite
sex, and can be criticising or praising them. Its negative connotation,
as in “That skank was crunk!” contrast with the positive – “Man, you
were totes crunk on Saturday, it was sick!”
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Y outh S lang
youth, however, rarely give their entire conversations that “street” edge
(as do their American counterparts from the hood, or at least those in
’da hood on ’da telly). They are more likely to drop in just the one or
maybe two words in the course of a conversation.
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ingly, this lingo forms a large chunk of the lexicon of Australian youth
today. To young Australians, African American slang puts them “on the
edge” and is a way of rebelling against the white, middle-class value
system that they belong to.60
Glam Rock David Bowie, Kiss-inspired, Rappers Basketball and rap music, Va
extravagant haircuts, glitter, African American dominated
platform shoes
Rockers Leather jackets and Grunge Ripped and tatty clothing, Ri
motorcycles, counter-culture, greasy long hair, music like
tough Nirvana and Pearl Jam
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Youth subcultures have come and gone over the centuries, but they
rose to particular prominence in the 1950s. During this decade, it was
the hipsters, and bodgies and widgies, and in the 60s, it was the hippies,
mods and rockers. The hipsters, with origins amongst the hepcats of
the Swing Era,61 later evolved into
the hippies. This is an interesting
point to note, that although many of
Today Trends and Associations
the stock standard youth subcultures
Skaters/ Skating as a way of life,
Skaties/ originally a rebellious, non-
of the past aren’t around in obvious
Skegs conforming culture, is now forms today, there are noticeable
more commercialised
elements from the past influencing
Emos Black, side-swept hair, modern subcultures. Each subculture
facial piercings, eyeliner,
“emotional” or depressing is influenced by those groups that
themes have come before them.
Goths Black clothing, tattoos and
body art, dark music and art
It’s important to remember how
significant sub-cultures are to young
people, and how the language they
Hip Break-dancing, graffiti use reflects this. As much as it might
hoppers and hip hop music. Can be
underground or mainstream seem that the words are used by
leaning
people and against people merely to
Indie/ Trendy, “alternative”, usually exclude and define their own particu-
Hipster university-educated, into
progressive art and music. lar group, they are also a signifier of
A spin-off of the Hipster belonging. By utilising certain slang
movement
words and not others, a young person
Valley Girls Paris Hilton, celebrity-driven
ideals, valtalk and the latest identifies himself or herself as a part
trends. Female dominated of something, a group that reflects
Riot Grrrls Originiating in the U.S. in the its members’ stance on things. It is
1990s. Expressing feminism
through rock bands, zines therefore an easy, and usually fun,
and a DIY aesthetic way for them to express themselves.
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Subculture Slang
Mods be cool the man clyde
Hippies peace way-out square
Rappers let’s bounce freakin bling-bling
Skaters grommet session sketchy
Valley Girls like whatever totally
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The next table64 presents some more regional slang words used
mostly by youth – some have been around for a while, while others are
newer additions. The origin of some is uncertain.
State or territory
Word Meaning and usage
of origin
Animal Good, crazy person South Australia
Bad devon Something off, gross, not good New South Wales
To drive around the block, usually in a noisy,
Blockie Tasmania
pimped out car
Uncouth and uneducated person. Now used
Bogan around Australia, but said to have originated Victoria
in Victoria
Dance floor Getting friendly with a member of the opposite
Queensland
action sex on the dance floor
Dart Cigarette Victoria
Containers of nitrogen dioxide intended for soda
Nags/nangs/
stream bottles or whipped cream dispensers, Western Australia
nitros
inhaled by some teenagers
Eastern Melbourne suburbs term for an
Nanger Victoria
uncouth person
Nerpy Good, cool Western Australia
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State or territory
Word Meaning and usage
of origin
Someone who has no friends (“Nigel-no-
friends”). Used by school children in the
Nigel Northern Territory
Northern Territory (also used in the mainland
eastern states)
Stands for “not one friend”. Same as “nigel” or
Nof Victoria
“scott”
Used to mean that you are in fact doing
Not even Queensland
something
Nuffest Silly or stupid Northern Territory
Peachy A champion New South Wales
PGB Stands for “post grog bog” Victoria
Stands for “pretty hot and tender” in
Phat Queensland
Queensland (referring to a young woman)
Phoofy
(can rhyme
with either Fluffy. “Phoofy” hair was popular in the eighties Victoria
“boofy” or
“goofy”)
Piece Sandwich South Australia
As in “Scott (has got) no friends” – same as
Scott Queensland
“Nigel” and “nof”
A resident of Western Sydney. A “bogan” in
Westie New South Wales
other states
Derived from “and so’s your mum”
(used throughout Australia) – “You cry like
a girl” “Yeah, your mum!” It comes from the
Your mum Queensland
predominantly black American use of the
joking phrase, “Your Mum’s so ...”
[insert insult here].
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Originally a clothing company, the "Rockstar" brand has expanded into several
industries, including bars and restaurants, cosmetics, music events and energy drinks.
By manipulating social media such as Facebook, along with clever sponsorship deals,
it has positioned itself as a worldwide sensation, encouraging all-important brand
identification. The "Unit" car decal is a motocross, bmx and fmx clothing brand popular
with young men.
Filler words
Filler words are relied on by all age-groups to keep conversation flowing,
to avoid uncomfortable silences or to recall something. Sometimes
they are part of someone’s everyday spoken language simply out of
habit. Common fillers used by Aussies include “um”, “arr”, “mmm”,
“y’know”, “you know what I mean?”, “and stuff ” and “sort of thing”.
A certain subset of young people use filler words to reflect their
style. Valley talk or “valtalk”, mentioned earlier, is a style of jargon that
involves the excessive use of filler words. In Summer Heights High, a con-
troversial ABC TV comedy series of 2007 and 2008 set in a Melbourne
high school, Ja’mie King speaks valtalk. Some of the fillers she – and
her friends in this subset of young women – use repeatedly are: as if,
seriously, whatever, like, totally, duh, stuff, so, way. “Seriously, as if. Like
you’re going to pass. Like, all that stuff is, like, so way over your head.
You’re, like, totally so stupid.” “Whatever!”
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