Slanguistics

So I was watching MTV2 the other day because nothing was on. They went through some history of something, which isn't really important. Then they had a program called, "Slanguistics", the origins of slang, primarily from Hip Hop. Being the unwitting viewer, I decided to sit through it and see if I could discover the deep complexities that is Hip Hop slang.

The show expounded on such informative discourse such as, homey, came from homeboy, but didn't bother to expose on the origins of the term, homeboy. As was such with every other slang that they used.

Now, normally, this wouldn't be an issue. But the show decided to consult such experts from Vibe and Source for their vast historical knowledge. Granted, it does originate from the Hip Hop culture, but that is only a subculture of a larger system known as society. I'm sure accreditted sociologists would have done a much better job going through the origins of some of the most inane words to lace our vocabulary.

The worst part of the show, was a comment about how Hip Hop should be lauded for "taking words, and making it [its] own", as if, Hip Hop somehow gains some inherit ownership to language once it changes the meaning.

Language is an interesting meme in the sense that it is even more varied than race. Not that race is a genetic anamoly or can be nailed down to a specific gene, but just as race or ethnicity defines who we are physically, language defines who we are culturally. Language is the great equalizer of people. It doesn't matter what you believe in, what you look like, through language, you can be on the level of presidents, senators, or any random shmoe on the street.

But that's another essay.

Now, granted, words have multiple meanings, and often times, when used in the venacular, have a much different meaning than its original intent. Many times, the word's definition can be exposed from its contents. But does this really benefit us as a culture? It's difficult enough to try and communicate with one another in regular english, how much harder is it if we began using different sets of vocabulary.

It's one thing to coin a word or phrase for a phenomena, meme, or idea that did not exist, ie: cyberspace. Such words benefit society because it gives us a common lexicon and label to discuss this abstraction. When you hear the word cyberspace, you have an idea of what its talking about. But what about other words? What happens when you take its definition and pervert it?

Now, I don't know if this meme comes from my formal programming background, where clear definition is critical in function, or from my perfectionist tendency. In either case, the meme of slang isn't necessarily a bad thing, not in and of itself, rather, it becomes bad when people decide that this new definition should supercede the original. It's also detrimental because it is only used in its temporal context. Once slang is embraced by anyone who is seen as "uncool" or whatever, the term enters its death throws and exits the venacular. Such is the word "bling", which has just been used to death. Everyone, from their grandma to their neice is using the word. Now, if the word was actually beneficial to the culture, then people would not refrain from using it only because certain age groups or demographics begin using it.

Thus, brings us to the crux of what makes slang and its meme so attractive. It is an issue of class and elitism. Slang is used as a way to exclude others. Instead of using knowledge as a weapon, they are using the lack of knowledge. Those who use slang, are in possession of a language specific to their clique, group, club, or subculture. It is a form of exclusion that only benefits the self.

By the end, I realized that I was no closer to understanding slang and its entomology