"Ain't" Ain't in the Dictionary... Or is it?

A Look Into Slang in a Classroom Setting

Slang has been around for many years, however it has become increasingly popular in the past few years and is often used amongst students ranging from elementary school all the way through college. When I was younger, slang was always looked down upon and not recognized as a correct or grammatical form of the English language. An uproar amongst teachers would ensue as soon as someone mentioned the word "ain't" in their paper or even said it aloud to a friend. Now, however, that time has passed, "ain't" is in the dictionary, and is more accepted now than ever. But "ain't" ain't the only word that has been acknowledged as real English. I have found in my research through scholarly and popular sources that slang words are accepted as another variation of our language, and are used widespread throughout the country. 

Scholarly research has found that age becomes a big factor in the use of slang because it is often seen as generational. Teenagers and college students are the main consumers and creators of slang that is used daily because young people are often inspired by creativity and not afraid to try new things (Zhou and Fan 2210). This research is similar to that found in popular sources. In a New York Times post, a lesson plan all about slang is explained. This lesson will teach students how to use their own personal slang appropriately as well investigate where these slang words originated. This lesson just goes to show just how common slang is among students, and how it is increasingly becoming a major part of the English language. 

Scholarly research has also found that "a generation gap opens up when children identify strongly with peer groups, which commonly happens in adolescence. By this time, the youngsters have mostly acquired the grammar of their language. Their major quest now is the building of lexicon, a task which continues throughout life" (Aitchison 20). The building of a person's lexicon can relate back to the use of slang. Now that the child has learned the grammar of their language, they can continue to grow their lexicon with slang words which can be passed around by peers and other people they may encounter. 

For example, students of all ages are now using the phrase "Netflix and Chill" to describe inviting someone you're interested in over to watch Netflix but a hidden meaning of engaging in sexual acts. Popular sources share with us just some of the other phrases and words of slang that are commonly being used today and their interesting meanings.

A scholarly article regarding the use of slang in classrooms in a New York school describes a teacher's dealings with slang, as it is a constant use of communication in and out of the classroom. Hamilton says that since he has been working with his students, he has gained a new appreciation for language, he says, "How I survive - or make room for and adapt to - the languages and dialects I encounter requires a great degree of respect for language diversity" (89), which again shows just how much slang really does effect language in a classroom setting. Teachers now have to understand and adapt to the language of their students, and slang has to be accepted as a form of the language. 

Popular sources such as the extremely popular "funny" news site, BuzzFeed, poke fun at the use of slang amongst students and how some of the words they create are just so original it is hard for some adults to grasp and understand the meaning of such words. The video above shows an interview of college professors at Lehigh University and their "understanding" of some of the more popular slang terms and phrases that are floating around the classroom. BuzzFeed asks them their thoughts on the meaning of the slang words: bae, FOMO, slay, and on fleek and more often than not the professors have the meaning completely wrong. 

Through popular and scholarly sources, the consensus on slang is that it should be regarded as a form of the English language. The fact that it is so popular in amongst students from elementary age to all the way up to college age shows how important creating new words and meanings is to the current generation. They thrive on creating a language that is powerful, engaging, and interesting and using slang is the perfect way to do that. Slang terms are a part of our daily routines and conversations, they are used in schools, at home, and at work by all different types of people, usually with an attempt to be creative with their language - so why shouldn't we embrace it? 

Even the fact that teachers are making an effort to understand slang used by their students by creating lesson plans or even just discussing slang with their students, is a step in the right direction. Sometimes students come from backgrounds that are really only familiar with slang as a form of language, that's why knowing slang words and engaging with students about those slang words can potentially help to eliminate the negative ones and create more positive slang that wouldn't be so harmful to include in school work. Although the use of slang has been portrayed in a negative light for so many years, it has slowly become acknowledged as a form of the English language, and this is because of the constant use of slang terms by young people. Their consistency of creating and applying new words and meanings has increased our vocabulary and opened our minds to the creativity of this interesting form of language.

Works Cited 

Aitchison, Jean. "Whassup? Slang And Swearing Among School Children." Education Review 19.2 (2006): 18-24. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

Fan, Yanhong and Zhou, Yanchun. “A Sociolinguistic Study of American Slang.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies3.12 (2013): 2209-2213. Web. 1 Nov 2015.

Hamilton, Greg. “English in the City.” English Journal 93.4 (2004): 89-92. Web. 1 Nov 2015.