soulgifts – Telling Tales

We all know that language is a living thing. As technologies bring in new marvels, so they bring in new terms. Which become embedded in every day speak. As do trends, music and a trillion other influencers.

In order to understand teen speak, it behooves us olds to keep up with the trends in language. Otherwise communication channels get clogged and stuck in what was for us, our teen lingua franca.

In September 2019 the Merriam-Webster Dictionary added 530 new words that have become embedded into common use. This is just one of them +

Fatberg

: a large mass of fat and solid waste that collects in a sewer system. Ewwwwww!!!!

The toxic lump of congealed fat and household waste—known as a fatberg—was 40 metres long and so heavy that it broke the 1940s-era sewer.— Rebecca RatcliffeRestaurants are a big contributor to fatbergs: Thames Water, the London utilities company, found nine out of 10 fast-food eateries lacked adequate grease traps to stop fat from entering the sewers.— Eve Watling

The San Francisco Chronicle published this list of Words of the Millenium –

Antropocene

App

Binge watch

Blog

Cryptocurrency

Emoji

Fake news

Genderqueer

Hot take

Internet meme

LOL and its derivatives

Mansplain

Selfie

Sext

Screen time

Sharing economy

Social media

Woke

Yas Queen

In 2019 Canadian Internet Linguist Gretchen McCulloch  published an instant bestseller book  called Because Internet –  Understanding the new rules of language. 

Somewhere in one of the reviews I read about  internet cat speak. Ceiling cat is God. Basement cat is the devil.

I got to get me this book!!!!

Here, for your elucidation, are some of the latest teen speak words –

EXTRA – Over the top. Either in a negative or positive sense – ‘I bought this top. It’s so extra.’FINNA – Used instead of ‘going to’  – “I’m finna the mall.”LOW KEY – Actually really happy but playing it down -“”I’m low key happy about that.”NO CAP – Used instead of ‘no joke’  or ‘actually – “I got this new bike. No cap it’s amazing.”OG – Means original
ROLLED – Getting robbed by someone for clothing or shoes
SALTY – Bad mood, unfriendly, unhappy – “She’s salty she’s not invited.”
SHIP – If a friend has a crush and friends give opinion – “I totally ship you two,”
SNATCHED – Girl to girl complement – “You look snatched.”
SWEAR – instead of  really, truly, swear to God
TEA – Gossip – “Oh my god, I have tea…”
THOT – Girl who wears revealing clothes and acts flirty
YEET – Excitement, approval, surprise, energy

Raili Tanska

OG – that’s extra yeet!