The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 19

Hang I There, Turkeys By H.L HOFFMASTER The Lincoln Star 19 Thursday, May 22, 1975 long way since the 1950's, although there are some new words and some new meanings for old words (see first sentence of story.) Teachers, counselors, an unscientifically selected group of parents and many teens say that slang has not boomed over the past two decades. Or if it has boomed, the impact has been reduced because slanguage is so widely understood, thanks to movies like "American Graffiti" which was a well-received, if not acclaimed, flashback to the 1950's. Then television came up with "Happy Days," a half-hour "Graffiti" which spread words like "neat" around again-Remembering the good ol' days was so popular this season, that teenage girls even wore bobby socks to dances1 and teenage boys greased their hair into "duck's youknowwhats" just like dad used to. If bobby socks come, can slang every group has some language that separates it from other people. You can tell a real fishermen by words like "bucketmouth," a golfer by words like "slice" and a seamstress by words like "basting" (which technically isn't a slang word, but Long warns of the difficulty in trying to separate "slang," from from He says slang is neither good nor bad.

Rather, it is natural. The teens themselves see slang very much the same way, and only short-memoried moms and dads can debate the point Long says slang is essentially a positive element in the language, that it expands our tools of expression, while only occasionally being inappropriate. Humans have a psychological need to be identified with certain social groups. Long says, and slang enhances the distinction while it discourages outsiders from getting too cozy. Kathy Raymer, chairperson of Star Staff Writer Hang in there, turkeys, don't have a cow There's a reason yon sometimes (although rarely) don't understand teenagers.

They're just doin' it to you, like you do it to them. In plain language: Teens aren't speaking plan language but often, neither are you. They are identifying with their peer culture, and in the process, they are figuratively trying to keep you somewhat at arm's length. They are speaking slanguage. If you are an "old man" father or "old lady" mother think back to those grand old American Graffiti days when you, too, identified yourself as part of the teenage culture by saving things like "cool" and "hip" words still being used today and still meaning the same.

But slanguage has not come a Black Slanguage Different Box record player. Comin' from racialsocioeconomic background. When used as a question: "Where are you comin' from?" It also means "What do you mean?" be far behind? William J. Long, a dialects experts and associate professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, defines slang as a "code language used by a social "in" group." Long points out that nearly Black teens tend to have different slanguage than white teens, although both understand one another and often use common slang expressions as well as slang of one. another's social groups.

But some black slang expressions seem to be unique, or seldom used though understood by white teens. Here are a few of those slang words, contributed by the Afro-American history class, taught by Tom Christie, at Lincoln High School: the Lincoln High School English department went to the students for today's slang situation. Get your head off getting drunk, getting high on drugs. Herb pronounced "erb," means marijuana. Hammer pronounced "hammah," means an exceptionally sexy girl.

Jam record. Jammin' dancing. Jive turkey same as turkey; see also schmuck, schnook, scrod. Pennin' good clothes. Pop get caught, i.e., "I got popped." Scarf to eat.

The Man police. a white racist criticize Cracker Doggin' An Incomplete, Imprecise Guide Scratch squeal tires. somebody. Foxy sexy. Gettin' it on, get down, get it on down several meanings ranging from doing something to sexual intercourse.

Gettin' over winning. CUT FLOWER The students responded with a flood of slanguage and mixed reviews as to whether or not the words were really very common. Liz Walsh, who apologized for her spelling 'cause I usually don't use slang," said slang is a Junior high through college phenomenon. That agrees with Long's identification of slang as being usually youth culture-oriented. Belinda Acosta said "there's the same amount of slang used, man." One anonymous student plaintively wrote that there must be less slang being used because "I can't even think of any!" Deanna Mumgaard and Karl Schlitt both think the incidence of slang usage is about the same.

Judgment of the nearly 100 students was about divided between less slang, the same and more. If adults and youth don't exactly and always speak the same language, they understand. Since the old man and the old lady don't have a cow over lingo, slang has a limited appeal and a universal acceptability, a dangerous combination for survival through uniqueness. Slang may be surviving, at least in part because it has become legitimate an in-. tegral part of everyday talk.

Despite the opportunity to shock the establishment, 'only one teenager put in a dirty word and only a handful referred to drug slang. The responses were quite polite, Except for the one who wanted to know what kind of a turkey would do this kind of story anyway? Holy moley! 1 Honky name given whites by blacks. Hunk handsome male. Hunky dory great, fine, OK. How ya hangin'? how are you? acceptable, popular.

1 I hears ya I understand. -J- Jam dance. (none listed) L-L Low bad. -M- AAichugana crazy person. Mo homosexual.

AAug face. Neato frito good, OK. Neato keeno good, OK. Neat good, OK. Nertzy nice.

No way, Hosea absolutely not. -0- Oh, peck! a substitute for an expletive deleted. Old lady mother. Old man father. -P-Pig policeman.

Pygmy a short person. -Q- Queer means almost anything from queer to good. -R- Red someone who is square, not popular. Right-on! a good idea, "I agree with you." Rip-off to steal, something that isn't fair. Ripped high on drugs or drunk.

-S- Saba a friend. Schmuck a person with no appeal (a square); also, pronounced smuck. Schnook same as schmuck. Doper someone who is using drugs. Drifting daydreaming.

Drongus a stupid person. Dude a fancy dresser. (none listed) i Fairy male homosexual. Far-out good, exceptional. Feelin' spacey not feeling well.

Flaky eccentric. Flip sassing back. Foul do something bad, a nasty thing to say. Foxy good looking, sexy. Fry to make mad, to frighten.

Fruit person who acts stupid or unsophisticated. Fun fun boring. Funky wierd, stupid, fashionable. Fuzz police. -G- Gearhead a car fanatic.

Geek someone who is naive, conventional, "square." Get away get lost, go jump in the lake. Get down let's do something, go someplace; or, come. over. Get on one's case over-. ly critical, Great googa mooga expression of Greaser a boy who is no good, a juvenile, delinquent.

Grit cigaret. Groovy same meaning as cool. Gross ugly, strange. -H- Headrush something that's fun. Herb marijuana.

understand, agree. Holy moley an expression of surprise. Slang often defies defining and that complicates any discussion. Deft inflection can turn a complimentary "turkey" into an insult "Bad" can be good, unless the teenager really means bad. And the youths who wrote out their top slang Word often used slang to explain1 the meaning.

The Lincoln Star's incomplete and imprecise guide to teen slanguage: -A- Al'right terrif ict- Antsy upset, angry. '-B- Bacon police. Bad good, tough. Beat bad, something that's not good. Bitch grumpy girl.

Blitz no ideas. Book to leave, i.e., "let's book to your house." Boogie dance, leave, go somewhere. Bug off "leave me alone." Bummer something that turned out wrong, bad. Burned, burnt tired, worn out. -C- Casual person an average person.

Charlie someone who acts strange. Chump a person who is dumb, gullible. Cool a situation or person whichwho Is good, likable. Cutie someone who isn't cute. Decent very nice.

Dig understand. Don't have a cow don't be shocked. Dork a foolish, stupid person. 1 Dorky ugly. Scrod worse than schmuck; also, pronounced scroud, scrud.

Sheba a friend. Shucky-darn an expletive that doesn't have to be deleted. Snake a real sleezy girl. Space it off to lose something. Spaced out on drugs, not knowing what's going on.

Space ranger somebody who's using drugs, or is absent minded. Straight somebody who is ordinary; or, a heterosexual. Super great. -T- Tic marijuana. T.C.B.

"Taking care of business," doing what is supposed to be, or needs to be, done. Trip an indescribable, exciting, experience. Truck to walk, to go someplace. Tube a cigaret. Turkey see schmuck, schnook, scrod.

-U- Un there's an entire family of "un" words, like uncool, in which "un" indicates an opposite meaning. -V- (none listed) -W- What a bite bad situa- tion. What a kill a funny person, or situation. What a pain something, or someone, bothersome. Whatever turns you on whatever you want to do.

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