Advantages Disadvantages Slang Roughly Balanced

¶ … slang are roughly balanced. Slang has been defined by Michael Adams (2009) as "the area of speech in which biological, social, and aesthetic elements of human experience meet" (p. xiii). Adams' definition is intentionally broad because slang itself is such a dynamic expression of ideas, that words and phrases are constantly acquiring and losing meaning, as fast as fashionable slang-speak-words can be developed and recycled.

Knowing and using slang reveals one as someone who is knowledgeable of current "talk" among young persons: it shows him as a person who has access to youth and popular culture. It can be seen both as a "way in" to that culture and as a "handicap" by individuals who associate such a culture with immaturity and lack of education and cultivation. Thus, the usage of slang can be perceived in positive and negative ways.

Adams (2009) provides a more precise definition of slang when he states that it is "a linguistic practice rooted in social needs and behaviors, mostly the complementary needs to fit in and to stand out" (p. 6). It also conveys ability towards "poetic prowess" among current linguistic fashions (Adams, 2009, p. 6). However, slang can quickly demonstrate inferior linguistic skills if it is too heavily relied upon or over-used -- especially among teens. A speech that consists primarily of slang will seem unfit for formal or proper society.

That is the main disadvantage of slang -- too much of it can seriously limit one's potential in the social, business, and political world. On the other hand, a deft usage of slang, sparingly and at the right time, can create an effect of commonality, of awareness, of oneness with youth, with current modes of expression, with what people are thinking and how they are thinking it (De Caro, 2009).

Still, an improper usage of slang, especially by an adult, can quickly reveal him to be "out-of-date" or "out-of-touch." Slang is constantly changing. An expression popular at one moment in time may easily be unpopular once the expression has "caught on" to too great a degree. Part of the charm of slang is that is fresh, new, alternative. Once it becomes mainstream it risks being old, stale, and trite.

Usage of trite expressions by one who wants to be seen as someone who is "with it" can lead to just the opposite effect -- the projection of one who is not "with it." Slang is about conforming to a social norm that wants to project itself as separate, individual, unique (Coard, 1957). To do so, it must constantly update itself. This has its advantages as well as disadvantages, too. It means that in order to fit in with a particular social group, one must regularly adapt one's speech.

However, one disadvantage is that it does not encourage movement towards more commonplace expressions of modes of thought/speech. It does not promote a more academic approach to language. Too much time in a world of linguistic fads can lead to shallowness of thought and expression. But by acquainting oneself with the world of linguistic fads, one can better understand youth movements, youth phrases, youth expressions, and how younger generations express themselves (Heiman, 1967). In conclusion, the advantages of slang are that it can be used.