Dialect is an interesting aspect of culture. Dialect is defined as "a particular form of a language that is particular to a specific region or social group." An element of dialect is slang. We hear slang everyday. Some slang words are timeless, such as "bro," "cool," etc. Others come and go for a stint or a short period of time. Either way, slang is something that is greatly embedded into our culture.
Slang is informal and more common in speech than in writing, and is often restricted to a particular context or group of people. when people think about slang, the automatic assumption is that said particular group of people refers to those who are lower class or under educated, specifically African-Americans. While this may generally be the case among certain groups, slang is still an important and an almost necessary aspect of culture.
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Slang in the African-American community, for example, allows certain cliques or communities to communicate on a more intimate level. In the past, during slavery, African-Americans were not allowed to read or write or grow intellectually in terms of language, so they had to decipher words for themselves and come up with ways in which to interact amongst each other. They did this by using slang. Ebonics, the slang used today by some African-Americans, is a result of slaves taking English words and breaking them down into words that were more easily accessible for them to use. Ebonics is the result of an intellectual oppression, therefore such broken English is important to that specific culture and history.
Code switching is "the practice of moving back and forth between two languages or between two dialects of the same language." African american English (AAE) is a certain type of Ebonics dialect, and being able to code switch simply means being able to understand when and where it is appropriate to use such slang and when it is not. Unfortunately, not all African-Americans have this code switching ability which is why there is the perception of unintelligence when people speak in Ebonics.
The word "ain't" is a prime example of Ebonics and AAE. In the past, as a prospective English major, I used to have great disdain for the use of the word "ain't," and I didn't understand why people did not simply say "is not" or "are not." I realize now that it is a part of a culture. While in most cases theses individuals do not code switch, it is still a part of their culture and its use should not be condemned.
AAE also assigns different meanings to different words. For example, the n-word, once a derogatory term that caused isolation, is now a word of comraderie, which means "homie" or "brother" or "friend."
A large influence of slang culturally has come from the African-American community-stemming from that original emergence of Ebonics among African-Americans in America. Thinking about slang in general and how it has come about has given me a greater appreciation for it entirely. Slang and dialects are cultural and distinct, and, in a way, it brings us together. The internet has also exemplified the presence of slang within our culture. More often than not, I find myself going toUrban Dictionary to keep up to date with new and current slang.
An analysis of the prominent role that slang plays in culture and how it came about suggests the use of slang is not only confined to a certain area or group of people but instead is an important and necessary element of society.
