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¶ … 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...
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Still, an improper usage of slang, especially by an adult, can quickly reveal him to be "out-of-date" or "out-of-touch."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…
Reference List
Adams, M. (2009). Slang: The People's Poetry. UK: Oxford University Press.
Coard, R.L. (1957). Ish, Icky, and Cool Cat: Making the Most of Slang. The Clearing
House, 32(4): 214-216.
De Caro, E.E.R. (2009). The Advantages and Importance of Learning and Using
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