{"id":12068,"date":"2019-11-06T14:48:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T19:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pimsleur.com\/?p=12068"},"modified":"2026-02-02T12:42:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T17:42:46","slug":"does-slang-ruin-english-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/does-slang-ruin-english-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Slang Destroying the English Language?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is Slang Bad and Does Slang Ruin Language?<\/strong>
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Slang is inevitable in any language. While you probably won’t be using it in a job interview, here\u2019s why it\u2019s fine for language and here to stay. 
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What is Slang?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although we might think of slang as any nonstandard language use, it actually has a fairly narrow meaning: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. It\u2019s considered informal and inappropriate in certain contexts. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Only a certain “in” group of people are familiar with the slang term. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. It replaces a conventional term, usually to avoid taboo, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. It consists of new or current words used in a novel way. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So, while the word ain\u2019t<\/em> may be nonstandard English<\/a>, it’s actually not slang. Ain\u2019t <\/em>is informal, but every English speaker knows what it means, it doesn\u2019t replace a taboo word, and it doesn’t add a new meaning to a word. 
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    Tracing the Origins of Slang<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Slang can be difficult<\/a> for editors of dictionaries to trace, usually because it is (or at least used to be) restricted to non-written language. Written language provides a record to study word origins. But most slang is created and used only in spoken language.  
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    However, the internet has made slang much easier to track. Social media is a great place to study slang because of the informal context in which people are writing. 
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    In addition to providing documentation of slang, the internet has actually created contexts where new slang is invented. Take \u2018lol\u2019 for example.  
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    Origin of “LOL” and Other Internet Terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    LOL, for \u2018Laughing Out Loud\u2019 was first used in the late 1980s.\u00a0 This usage had all of the features of slang: it was informal, not part of standard use, not understood by everyone, and was a new, context-specific term. However, \u2018lol\u2019 has since passed into common usage and might not even be considered slang anymore.
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    While \u2018lol\u2019 is recent enough that many people remember before it was used, it has changed over the years. \u2018Lol\u2019 originally only meant \u2018laughing out loud,\u2019 but nowadays it often doesn\u2019t mean anything<\/a> at all. Instead, it works to ease tension in text conversations, serving as a politeness marker. If you don’t believe this, notice the next time you type \u2018lol\u2019\u2014 you probably aren\u2019t laughing<\/a> at all. 
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