OVERVIEW

These middle-school students cooperated with the Boston Globe to produce a dictionary or lexicon of their everyday talk together. The Globe comments: "Deciphering adolescent language requires skill and , well, maybe a little help from our friends."

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. With which of these expressions were you familiar?
2. How is English slang being used differently from middle school to high school and in college years? How does it differ from region-to-region and country-to-country? How does it move from inner city to suburbs?
3. In a given area is there a general use of similar slang with some expressions distinct to particular subcultures of youth?
4. What’s the best way, according to this article, to find the answers to these questions?
5. To what extent do teachers and youth workers need to know these expressions?
6. How should your knowledge be used and how should it not be used?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Whether we’re considering family life, teaching, counseling or youth work, communication with young people based on relationships is the heart of the matter.
2. Some teachers and youth workers are more aware of slang expressions than others. Those who really care, who really spend time with kids, and who really listen will begin to pick these up. Some intentional effort does go into learning the language. That’s the purpose of this article—and in order to compare language from different places.
3. Leaders should never try to talk like kids—anymore than they should try to dress like them or act like them. We do want to show respect and understand. A better knowledge of their language will help our relationship and communication. An experienced teacher or leader will slip an expression in once in a while when it really fits what’s being explained.
4. This Encyclopedia needs your contributions from all over the world.

Dean Borgman cCYS