Editing Slang (section)

== Formation of slang ==
It is often difficult to collect etymologies for slang terms, largely because slang is a phenomenon of speech, rather than written language and etymologies which are typically traced via [[Corpus linguistics|corpus]].

[[Eric Partridge]], cited as the first to report on the phenomenon of slang in a systematic and linguistic way, postulated that a term would likely be in circulation for a decade before it would be written down.<ref name=Coleman />  Nevertheless, it seems that slang generally forms via deviation from a standard form. This "spawning" of slang occurs in much the same way that any general [[semantic change]] might occur. The difference here is that the slang term's new meaning takes on a specific social significance having to do with the group the term indexes.

Coleman also suggests that slang is differentiated within more general semantic change in that it typically has to do with a certain degree of "playfulness". The development of slang is considered to be a largely "spontaneous, lively, and creative" speech process.<ref name="Coleman">{{cite book|last=Coleman|first=Julie|title=Life of slang|date=March 8, 2012|url=https://archive.org/details/lifeofslang0000cole|url-access=registration|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0199571994|edition=1. publ.}}</ref>

Still, while a great deal of slang takes off, even becoming accepted into the standard lexicon, much slang dies out, sometimes only referencing a group. An example of this is the term "groovy" which is a relic of 1960s and 70s American [[hippie]] slang. Nevertheless, for a slang term to become a slang term, people must use it, at some point in time, as a way to flout standard language.<ref name="topical dictionary" />  Additionally, slang terms may be borrowed between groups, such as the term "gig" which was originally coined by jazz musicians in the 1930s and then borrowed into the same hippie slang of the 1960s.<ref name="topical dictionary" /> 'The word "groovy" has remained a part of subculture lexicon since its popularization. It is still in common use today by a significant population. The word "gig" to refer to a performance very likely originated well before the 1930s, and remained a common term throughout the 1940s and 1950s before becoming vaguely associated with the hippie slang of the 1960s. The word "gig" is now a widely accepted synonym for a concert, recital, or performance of any type.

Generally, slang terms undergo the same processes of [[semantic change]] that words in the regular lexicon do.<ref name=Coleman />

Slang often forms from words with previously differing meanings, one example is the often used and popular slang word "lit", which was created by a generation labeled "Generation Z". The word itself used to be associated with something being on fire or being "lit" up until 1988 when it was first used in writing to indicate a person who was drunk<ref>{{Cite book|title=Warbirds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator|last=Girder|first=John|publisher=Texas A & M University Press|year=1988}}</ref> in the book "Warbirds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator". Since this time "lit" has gained popularity through Rap songs such as ASAP Rocky's "Get Lit" in 2011. As the popularity of the word has increased so too has the number of different meanings associated with the word. Now "lit" describes a person who is drunk and/or high, as well as an event that is especially awesome and "hype".

Words and phrases from popular [[Hollywood films]] and [[television series]] frequently become slang.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Merry|first1=Stephanie|title='As if': 40 comedies from the past 40 years that changed the way we talk|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/as-if-40-comedies-from-the-past-40-years-that-changed-the-way-we-talk/2018/03/28/affa2e04-2889-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html?wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=9 April 2018|date=29 March 2018}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>