Slang and its evolution in the English language

Cristóbal Martínez Jiménez

Language has always been a dynamic tool for human communication throughout

history. The evolution of this aspect in the human socialization process is affected and

influenced by the social, cultural and historical changes which take place in a certain society.

Due to this fact, new words come up, the impact which they have is profound and affects

several aspects of language such as syntax, vocabulary or pronunciation. The category in

which these new words are classified is called slang. It can be considered a linguistic

innovation since it is constantly evolving, introducing new challenges to the traditional

linguistic norms.

The aim of this essay is to explain and analyze several examples of slang in the

English language. Five examples of slang words will be used as an example to illustrate how

this vocabulary evolves and the diachronic consequences which this dynamic forms of

language have had over the years in several English-speaking nations.

When analyzing the origin in the meaning “cool”, this has been an example of a word

which has changed its meaning throughout history. Despite the fact that the term has been

hugely widespread in a worldwide context, the first notions of this “cool” were first

introduced in a musical context, more specifically in the jazz scene. It was apparently first

used by black saxophonists and expatriate artists. The American novelist Norman Mailer

explained the relation which the tastes for jazz, sex, drugs or black slang had with the word.

Cool was a way to manifest these revolutionary movements which were taking place at the

moment in which the word was being widespread. Thanks to social movements such as the

Hippie movement in the between the 60s and 70s in the USA, “cool” started being used as a
way to portray the way of life and the philosophy of having an authentic way of life outside

of the conventional American society. Therefore, this word is linked to the idea of

“coolness”, the underground attitude of people. “Cool” has not been uniquely related to

people, but artistic or fashion environments. Famous brands such as Levi’s applied this idea

during their very first origins in the 50s, associated the brand with clothes for the working

class as an act of insurgence.

Dope is an example of slang in the English language which has adopted different

meanings through the years. One of the most famous uses in the environment of the drug

scene in the United States among the African-American community although it has been

adapted as a way to say that something is silly or stupid. The Oxford English Dictionary first

reference to that term, with that meaning related to drugs, took place in 1981 as a result of

analyzing the lyrics of a song by Jimmy Spicer. However, its origin is considered uncertain

although the OED gives as response to it. It apparently comes from the Dutch doop dipping

sauce. This meaning related to liquids and food was the original meaning of the word. The

meaning of the word has been changing throughout the years and adding new denominations.

For example, around 1910, it was a liquid which was applied on the airplane’s surface. The

OED collects these meanings. The oldest connotation which this word has is the one related

to drugs, specially to the method for the use of opium around 1850. it later changed to a

similar verb from the verb to drug. As it has been previously mentioned, the newest and most

frequently used meaning is the one that rap musicians gave to the word in the 80s as a

synonym of excellent or great.

Slang itself is another example of a colloquial word since its meaning has changed

throughout the years. The etymological origin of the word is still unknown. It is supposed to
be a derivation of the verb sling due to the fact that they share certain resemblances in aspects

like sound or root with Scandinavian expressions, specifically with the Germanic root of

sling. It was first used in England during the 18th century. The original meaning of the word

dates back to the early eighteenth century and it was used in the context of criminal classes in

London. It could be said that the slang trajectory has a social aspect as well as a linguistic

one. As it has been previously mentioned, slang was used among users from the gutters and

the thieves’ taverns. It was also commonly seen in criminological aspects. In the end, that is

what slang is, a language which is the opposite of respectable. Many experts consider it a

“counter-language”. Its meaning has evolved to a more universal atmosphere since it is

currently not only referred to the marginal or the criminal scene, but to daily aspects of most

speakers without the necessity of being decadent.

Dude is also a recurrent word which is used among English speakers in their daily

life. The original term is supposed to be originated from the northern England dialect. The

word was initially used as a term to make reference to male’s clothes, dud garments during

the eighteenth century. However, it also had several other meanings such as the one referring

to old rages which were worn by low-class people. The earliest meaning for this word is the

use of dude as a synonym for person who were poor fabrics, this was known as the

dudesman. As the British Empire was crossing oceans in order to look for new territories, the

word was moved to new territories with British settlers. Despite the fact that it first kept its

original meaning related to clothes, it started to change gradually. Dude was considered

synonymous with dandy which was the way that sharp dressers were called in Western

territories, it also meant outsider. After crossing western territories of canada, cross-gender

applications came along such as dudines, dudettes or dudenettes. The female version of dude

didn’t last much and it ended up being an example of what some writers cite as artificial

slang. The first appearance of dude as a way of denoting less-gentlemanly conduct carried out
by man took place until the early twentieth century. Technological advances such as the

television in the 1950s led into the spread of dude. Its meaning has widened during the year

and, in recent days, it can also mean an expression of disappointment or delight.

This kind of words have existed throughout centuries and the following example,

tickety boo is a good proof of it. It was firstly used during the early 20th century in England.

It originally meant okay. The etymological origin is not clear since is the result of combining

a childish phrase peek-a-boo. It is said that the “birthplace” of such expression relies on the

British army set in India which employed the Hindi expression tikai babu which meant “it’s

all right, sir”. The expression was widespread in countries which were under British influence

such as Canada in which it is still being used in a minor way.

In conclusion, slang is considered an important part of modern English

communication. It is commonly used among English speakers in their daily life. According to

several surveys, native speakers’ way of communicating consists of 20-30% of slang. It is a

phenomenon in constant evolution as we have seen with the change in meaning that a lot of

the slang words we currently use with a different sense than they were firstly originated. The

continuation of this linguistic trend is somehow guaranteed and has become a worldwide

phenomenon thanks to the advance in technology and the expansion of the area of influence

of English language thanks to globalization and modern economy.

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Hill, R. A. (1994). You’ve Come a Long Way, Dude: A History. American Speech, 69(3),

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Manzo, L. K. C. (2015). Cool. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia Of Consumption And

Consumer Studies, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118989463.wbeccs076

Maurer, D. (2023, July 21). slang. Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/slang

What is the etymology of «dope» meaning excellent, great, impressive? (s. f.). English

Language & Usage Stack Exchange.

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/297851/what-is-the-etymology-of-dope-

meaning-excellent-great-impressive

World wide words: tickety-boo. (s. f.). http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-tic1.htm