Monday, February 22, 2016

Teenagers Use of Slang Within Society

Language in society is constantly changing, especially in the world of a teenager and their communication among their parents and teachers.  New words, known as slang, are invented so frequently that it is the new trend in the world to keep up with it.  Teenagers are the ones that are sucked into slang either from the outlets of social media or daily conversations with their peers.  It is quite difficult for parents to keep up with slang words and often have trouble understanding their teenagers when having a normal conversation with them.  

Phrases, such as, "I literally cannot even," puzzle adults because they are wondering why these teenagers are speaking gibberish.  Also, parents are contemplating the reason behind why teenagers cannot finish their statement with the appropriate verb.  The New York Times' writer Amanda Hess, posted an article on this phrase and stated that teenager's language is a type of rebellion in which the slang presents shelter or it is a defense mechanism from adult scrutiny.  Slang is widely used throughout the media today in which teenagers are thoroughly engaged in due to the popularity of social media networks and even from modern day television. 

According to the article, Language Development in Teenagerswhen an individual begins their teenage years, their language development increases and grows into more complex syntax for spoken and written communication.  Teenagers understand the need to use appropriate language because their brains have evolved much from the amount of schooling they have been through.  Even though teenagers have the knowledge for proper language use, they will speak in slang often because it is a way to fit in with their peers.  Yet again, social media has a major impact with teenager's language skills because of the amount of time they spend texting and messaging on these networks.  They get so accustomed to the language they use behind their phone and computer screens that they begin speaking it and even sometimes including it in papers and school assignments.  


http://roedw.blogspot.com/2015/11/1.html
It is important for parents to encourage their teenagers to gradually stop the use of slang in order to help prepare them for their futures.  Webspeak: The Secret Language of Teensstates that parents should help their teenagers to end the overuse of slang in order to prevent any problems with their college careers and employment opportunities.  College professors will not appreciate reading papers that include various slang terms because it will sound and be considered uneducated which will also happen in high school.  Teenagers should be motivated to shut down the slang and proofread every single thing they write to make sure they are prepared for the future.  

Overall, teenagers have invented a new way of speaking language that does not necessarily make sense to adults.  Slang is used frequently in social media networks which is the place teenagers derive it from.  It is not appropriate to incorporate slang into formal papers in their education, but it sometimes occurs because of the numerous occasions where teenagers use it in their everyday language.  It is something that became a regular habit for them.