Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
Nile Journal of English Studies
http://journals.ntnu.ng/ojs/jes/
NileJES
(2016) 2: 34-44
©Copyright by NTNU
http://dx.doi.org/10.20321/nilejes.v2i2.70
Slang as a Means of Exclusion From In-Group Communication of Selected
Undergraduates of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
TERNA-ABAH, Martha Nguemo1
1
PhD, Department of English Studies,Faculty of Arts, Management and Social Sciences,Nigerian Turkish Nile
University, Abuja
E-Mail: [email protected]: 008065567519
This paper examines the use of slang as a means of excluding those outside the social circle(s) of
selected undergraduates of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from their in-group communication.
The paper begins by looking at how users of language manipulate it to meet their communication
needs leading to the evolution of several varieties which apart from meeting these needs, also become
a form of identity for such users. Thereafter, the paper examines English slang as one of such varieties
from its initially restricted use to its prevalence among Nigerian undergraduates in general and those
of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in particular while also appraising its various definitions put
forward by some linguists. In addition, the paper discusses its methodology especially the three
research instruments (involving questionnaires, spontaneous interviews and non-participatory
observation) used for data collection from randomly selected undergraduates of the institution across
four faculties namely: Faculty of Arts, Education, Engineering and Social Sciences. Drawing from the
data obtained through the aforementioned instruments and its subsequent analysis, the paper discusses
the findings which proved that slang is a veritable tool among the target population who do not only
use it as a powerful means of communication and identity enhancement but also, as a way of shutting
out those whom they do not want to be part of their in-group communication. The findings also
showed that, those who were mostly excluded from the in-group communication of the subjects of this
study through the use of coded slang words were lecturers, invigilators and female students. The paper
concludes that, slang as used by the subjects of the study is not just a symbol of identity, but a potent
tool that empowers them to either open the door to „outsiders‟ to partake of their communication or
shut it against them through the use of special slang words.
Key words:slang, in-group communication, outsiders
language for instance has developed
several varieties over time majorly for the
purpose of meeting the needs of its
numerous users. English pidgin as a variety
of the English language for example
evolved for this same reason (of meeting
the communication needs of its users). This
assertion is captured succinctly by Todd
(1) who posits that Pidgin is, “a language
which arises to fulfill certain restricted
communication needs among people who
INTRODUCTION
Humans from time immemorial have
manipulated language to articulate their
diverse communication needs. The
manipulation of language in most cases
leads to the development of certain
varieties which have continued to thrive
for long periods of time. The English
34
Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
have no common language”. This view is
corroborated by Barber (239) who also
sees Pidgin as “an auxiliary language used
in the first place for the purpose of trade
between groups that have no common
language”. From the submissions above,
Pidgin as a variety of language came about
to fill the communicative gap between
people of different linguistic backgrounds
mainly for trading purposes at its initial
stage of development.
rivalry among the classes, making
fashionable
appearances,
eating,
socializing and studying as little as
possible (Eble 2). These studies also gave
the impetus for latter studies on college
slang.
The use of slang among students is not
restricted to the United States of America
and other parts of the developed world
alone. According to Terna-Abah (85) who
examined the sociolinguistic factors
responsible for the prevalence of slang use
among students, there is hardly any
institution of higher learning in Nigeria
where slang is not used by students
especially at informal contexts. This is
evident
from
the
website:
http:www.ngex.com/entertainment/oncamp
us/campus slang which is dedicated
exclusively to campus slang where
students
from
different
Nigerian
universities send in slang vocabularies and
their meanings as used on such campuses.
Sledd (703) understood the centrality of
slang to an average student when he once
berated English language teachers for
proscribing slang which he believed denied
students an avenue for criticizing society.
In his words,
Similarly, English slang as an important
variety of the English language also
evolved for the same reasons where at it
initial stage, it was used extensively by
certain group of people to fulfill their
communicative needs and also carve out an
identity for themselves. This is concisely
re-echoed by Malkjær (491) who posits
that, slang initially designated “the speech
of people involved in the criminal
underworld, hooligans, bandits, criminals
etc.” However, slang has transformed into
being the speech of many who use it as an
alternate vocabulary encoding their
communal values. It is now associated with
the armed forces (the Army, Navy and Air
force), the entertainment world in
television programmes, music (Grimm 8),
politics (Boylan 302), carnival works,
gambling and in the speech of prisoners,
students and so on (Eble 3).
when a teacher warns his students
against slang, he reaffirms his
allegiance to the social order that
created him…Genteel pedagogue
must naturally oppose it, precisely
because slang serves the outs as a
weapon against the ins. To use slang
is to deny allegiance to the existing
order either jokingly or in earnest by
refusing even the words which
represent convention and signal status.
The use of slang among students of higher
learning across the globe has become a
common phenomenon. According to Eble
(1-2), “the creative use of language by
college students to grumble to each other
about their lot in life and about those in
authority over them must date back in
Western Europe to the earliest days of the
universities”. In the United States of
America for example, the reconstruction of
college slang during the nineteenth century
relied heavily on three sources: B.H. Hall‟s
College Words and Customs 1856, Lyman
Bagg‟s Four Years at Yale 1871 and the
novel Student Life at Harvard 1876. These
three sources reveal that slang vocabularies
were concerned with campus landmarks,
Sledd‟s stance must have also been based
on the applicability and relevance of slang
to students as a distinguishing factor
especially with regards to in-group identity
and its principal functions in the
socialising processes, social interactions
enabling
bonding,
affiliations
and
expressions of solidarity and engagement
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Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
as well as providing a criterion for
inclusion of members and exclusion of
outsiders. Malmkjær (493) adds to this by
asserting that, slang is “a means (primarily
but not only for younger speakers) of
signalling „coolness‟ and indulging in
playfulness” especially among students.
discover that it transcends this definition.
This is because, slang is now used by
people from all walks of life even though
in the Nigerian context, it is used more by
the youths (Terna-Abah 88). Moreover,
even though slang is used largely at
informal contexts, it can no longer be
viewed as illegitimate because, it is
accepted more now than it was during its
early days. Most importantly, the fact
remains that, for its users, slang fulfils a
communication need just as standard or
“legitimate” speech would. This view is
corroborated by Ellis (8) who in her
definition of slang believes that it performs
a special function among its users. In her
own words, slang is
Interestingly, campus slang has become a
veritable tool among undergraduates of
Nigerian universities in general and
particularly those of Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria where it is used not only
to promote the establishment of social
identity but also to promote in-group
speech as it is intentionally used by the
target group to create social boundaries or
barriers that sometimes lock those outside
their social circle out. Consequently, this
paper examines how slang is employed by
the target group of this research to exclude
“outsiders” from in-group communication.
a variety of language used in certain
contexts by means of which people
express their sense of belonging to a
particular group within the community
which is not specific to any
geographic location.
DEFINITION OF SLANG
The attitudes of scholars towards slang
which range from the positive to negative
have influenced the various the definition
of slang offered so far. While lamenting on
this, Eble (3) opined that “the major
stumbling block to a workable definition
has been the assumption that slang is
peripheral to language and the consequent
strain to give slang an identity apart from
and in contrast to a supposedly neutral or
written standard or prestigious variety of
the language. This assertion is reflected in
the definition of Green and Kittredge cited
in Partridge (1) who define slang as
Similarly, Eble (3) shares the same views
expressed above in her definition of slang
as
an ever- changing and fashionable set
of vocabulary of sociability used to
establish or reinforce social identity of
cohesiveness within a group, with a
trend or fashion in a society at large.
Grossman and Tucker (1) on the other
hand opine that slang is
a nonstandard vocabulary belonging
to a particular culture or subculture
and consisting of raw and unrefined
expressions many of which are
considered
taboo,
vulgar
and
derogatory.
a peculiar kind of vagabond language
always hanging on the outskirt
of
legitimate speech but continually
straying or forcing its way into the
most respected company.
The views expressed by Grossman and
Tucker are re-echoed by Prendergast and
Prendergast (5) who see slang as
“unconventional,
hard–hitting,
metaphorical language that is colloquial,
sometimes vulgar and always innovative.”
The definition above is typical of the
negative attitudes that were prevalent
towards slang during its early days when it
was associated with vagabonds, hooligans
and criminals. Taking a critical look at
what slang is today however, one would
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Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
The reasons for the raw and unrefined
nature of slang expressions as reflected in
the definitions by Grossman and Tucker
and Prendergast and Prendergast above are
not far-fetched. This is because, slang is a
form of communicating the necessary
feelings and ideas of its users through the
choice of words that fit their situations
better than words that are considered to be
in the norm. It is a quick way for its users
to express themselves about ideas, places
and things that might not have the English
words to capture exactly how the users
feel.
1. Its presence will markedly lower, at
least for the moment, the dignity of
formal speech or writing.
2. Its use implies the users‟ special
familiarity either with the referent
or with the less statusful or less
responsible class of people who
have such special familiarity and
use the term.
3. It is a tabooed term in ordinary
discourse with persons of higher
social
status
or
greater
responsibility.
4. It is used in place of the wellknown conventional synonym,
especially in order to:
a.
Protect the user from the
discomfort
caused
by
the
conventional item or
b.
To protect the user from the
discomfort or annoyance of further
elaboration.
Another definition which also expresses
the views above is that of Szabo (5) who
sees slang as not only a language variant
which differs from the common register in
its words and expressions but as,
a way of living, differing from the
world of week days not only in the
usage of certain words by certain
people in certain situations…. Slang is
the medium which helps its users to
survive the period which is not the
least pleasurable for him or her. It is a
medium where those who know this
language variant can understand each
other from half words, unfinished
sentences and significant glances.
METHODOLOGY
Data for this paper was collected using
questionnaires, spontaneous interviews and
non-participatory
observations.
Two
hundred and fifty questionnaires were
administered to randomly selected
undergraduates of the university across
four faculties namely: Arts, Social
Sciences, Education and Engineering. The
non-participatory observation was used to
gather slang words/phrases while also
paying close attention to how slang was
used by both sexes. In addition to these
two instruments, spontaneous interviews
were also conducted involving forty
students who were also randomly selected
from the aforementioned faculties.
From the various definitions above, it can
be observed that most of them convey
value judgment ranging from positive to
negative. This is re-echoed by Chapman
(xi) who affirms that in linguistics where
definitions at best are often imprecise and
leaky, that of slang is especially notorious.
The problem is one of complexity, such
that a definition satisfying to one person or
authority would seem inadequate to
another because the prime focus is
different.
DATA PRESENTATION AND DATA
ANALYSIS
Data Interpretation and Analysis Based
on Questionnaires
In an attempt to solve the problem of the
definition of slang, Dumas and Jonathan
(14-16) reject the classical formula for
definition and instead propose four
identifying criteria for slang thus:
Due to the brevity of this paper, only nine
questions and responses that directly apply
to the study were selected from the total
number of twenty-four questions and
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Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
responses in the original questionnaires
administered and presented for analysis
below. For the sake of clarity, the data is
presented in a tabular form using the
percentage method of analysis with the
analysis for each response done beneath
each table.
variety and the respondents are students
who have to speak formal English as well,
it is understood why most of them speak
slang often and not very often.
Question 3: When do you use slang most?
Respondent
Question 1: Do you use slang?
Respondent
Number
Percentage
Yes
219
87.6%
No
31
3.4%
Total
250
100%
The question above was asked to find out
about the respondents‟ involvement and
familiarity with the subject matter. It was
also aimed at establishing the number of
respondents that use slang. As shown in
the table above, 87.6 % of the respondents
use slang as against the insignificant 3.4%
who do not. This shows that nearly all the
respondents are familiar with slang and as
such in a position to answer questions
bordering on it.
Number
Percentage
Very often
52
20.8%
Often
130
52%
Rarely
68
27.2%
Total
250
100%
Percentage
When
with 214
friends
and
fellow students
85.6%
When with my 6
teachers
2.4%
None of
above
12%
Total
the 30
250
100%
This question was asked to find out the
role common group membership plays in
the respondents‟ use of slang. Group
membership is used here to mean
belonging to the same gender, age, school
as students, kind of company being kept or
clique etc. The results above prove that
friends and fellow students motivate the
respondents more to speak slang than when
they are with their teachers as shown by
the 85.6% as against 2.4% of the responses
respectively. This confirms the role of
slang in enhancing group membership and
social identity.
Question 2: If yes how often?
Respondent
Number
Question 4: Are there certain slang words
that you use when you are with people of
the same gender?
In order to find out how often the
respondents used slang, the above question
was asked. This was also aimed at
determining their dependence on slang use
or otherwise. From the results obtained, a
larger number of the respondents use slang
often as shown by the highest percentage
of 52. This is followed by 27.2% and
20.8% of those who rarely use slang and
those who do so very often respectively. In
view of the fact that slang is an informal
Respondent
Number
Percentage
Yes
190
76%
No
60
24%
Total
250
100%
The aim of the question above was to
determine whether there are certain slang
vocabulary items used exclusively by
either males or females hence establish the
role of gender in the choice of slang words
38
Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
among the subjects. The results show that
76% of the respondents believe there are
different slang words for males and
females as against 24% who do not. The
result confirms that gender to a large extent
determines the slang words the respondent
use.
belong to their social circle in/from
conversations. Only 28% of the
respondents disagreed. This confirms that
slang actually performs a social function
among the subjects.
Question 7: If yes, why would you want to
exclude others from your conversation?
Question 5: Which of these two groups do
you think use slang most?
Respondent
Respondent
Number
Percentage
To
maintain 135
secrecy
54%
Males
156
62.4%
24
9.6%
For the fun of 41
it
16%
Females
Undecided
70
28%
30%
Total
250
100%
When
my 75
discussion
concerns them
Total
100%
In a bid to find out the gender that used
slang most among the respondents, the
question above was asked. The responses
obtained prove that male students of the
university use slang more than their female
counterparts as reflected by 62.4% of the
responses. Only 9.6% of the responses
indicated that female student speak slang
more while the remaining 28% could not
say which of the genders used slang most.
Number
250
Percentage
From the responses above, there is no
doubt that the subjects of this study use
slang mostly to prevent others from
comprehending the content of their
discussions as shown in highest percentage
of 54. This is also in consonance with 30%
of those who do so to discuss outsiders
who might be present while the
communication is going on without such
„outsiders‟ realizing that they are the ones
being discussed.
Question 6: Do you use slang sometimes
to deliberately exclude certain people from
conversations?
Respondent
Number
Percentage
Yes
180
72%
No
70
28%
Question 8: Between the male and female
users of slang, which group do you think
would have more coded slang words for
excluding others from their in-group
communication?
Total
250
100%
Respondent
Number
Percentage
Males
180
72%
Females
70
28%
Total
250
100%
This question was asked to find out from
the respondents if slang performed any
social function of excluding or including
certain people who did not belong to their
social circle from their in-group
communication. The responses obtained
show that slang is sometimes deliberately
used by 72% of the respondents to either
include or exclude those who do not
The table shows that male students have
more coded slang words for excluding
others from their communication than
female students. This is understandably so
39
Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
because, male students are more likely to
discuss „taboo‟ topics like sex, alcohol,
examination malpractice, fraud, money etc
than their female counterparts. This was
confirmed by results from the spontaneous
interviews conducted and discussed below.
SUMMARY
OF
INTERVIEW
Number
42%
Male students
4.4%
11
no
Percentage
Lecturers/invigil 105
ators/other
university staff
Female Students 134
53.6%
Others(please
specify)
Nil
0%
Total
250
FROM
Slang Words Used by Male Students to
Exclude Female Students from InGroup Communication
Question 9: Which category of people
would most likely be excluded using
slang?
Respondent
DATA
100%
1
Slang
word
Shiri
2
3
Shara
Kpoi
4
Chikala
5
6
Chikito
Senator
7
Manchest
er
Form
levels
9
The responses obtained and shown in the
table above prove that, lecturers,
invigilators, other staff of the university
and female students are more likely to be
excluded from in-group communication
through the use of coded slang words
compared to male students and others not
captured in the question. This proves that
slang is indeed a means of excluding others
from communication.
10
11
12
13
14
15
Brizlo
Kokolat
Bumps
Boggies
Shoddy
Frikpo
16
Cowbell
17
Straff
18
19
20
21
22
23
Legit
miya
Botra
Agbaski
Watery
Miya
Bush meat
24
Donatus
25
Spin/chaik
/rap/
Ashi
Data Presentation and Analysis Based
on Spontaneous Interviews
The data presented below was obtained
from responses to questions asked
spontaneously in the course nonparticipatory observation. Some of the
questions that had direct bearing to the
topic bordered on the kind of people that
are most likely to be excluded from the
target
population‟s
in-group
communication, the nature and meanings
of coded slang words used, their sources
and grammatical classes. Below are tables
showing the data obtained from interviews.
26
40
Meaning
SL
GC
lady or female
student
female student
derogatory term
for having had
sex with a lady
female student
that is considered
attractive
“
a lady with very
bad body shape
especially the
backside
a lady who is
busty
pompous/
snobbish
lady/one proving
difficult to date
pretty lady
one‟s girlfriend
Breast
Buttocks
one‟s girl friend
sexual
intercourse
used to refer to a
very busty lady
to have has
sexual
intercourse with
a lady
a beautiful lady
H
N
H
U
N
V
E
N
E
Tiv
N
N
E
N
E
VP
E
U
E
E
E
U
N
N
N
N
N
V
E
N
E
V
E/H
NP
Buttocks
a prostitute
ugly lady
Lady
a timid yet
promiscuous lady
a highly
flirtatious/promis
cuous lady
to woo a lady
E
U
E
H
E
N
N
A
N
NP
E
N
E
V
prostitute/of a
lady being
H
N
Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
promiscuous
a lady trying to E
A
show off/
exhibiting a
feeling of selfimportance
28
Peruz
to have sexual
E
P
anatomy
intercourse with
a lady
29
Trip
to be attracted to E
V
a lady
30
Feel
a lady who is
E
V
pompous/snobbis
h
31
Kele
show off
I
P
32
Poppi
Breast
E
N
SL: Source language GC Grammatical class
H: Hausa E: Englis I: IjawY: Yoruba
F: French U: Unknown
N: Noun V:Verb P: Pharasal Verb A: Adjective NP:
Noun phrase VP: Verb phrase A: Acronym
C:Clause
27
Slang Words Used to Exclude
Lecturers/Invigilators/other University
Staff from In-group Communication
1
Gboga
used to draw
attention to a
grammatical
mistake especially
made by a lecturer
Y
Tiawn
“
Edo
N
3
Tattoo
suspected
answers written
on hidden parts of
the body meant to
be copied from
during an exam
pre-arranged
group
exam
malpractice where
students
ensure
they sit together
in the exam hall in
order to share
answers
to
difficult questions
leaked
examination
questions/watchin
g out for such
examination
leakages
extraneous
materials
containing
E
N
5
6
Microchip
8
Aristo
9
Dry
10
Sekito
11
Blast
12
ECOWAS
Moon/mo
on gazing
Chokes
E
E
E
E
NP
E
N
E
A
U
N
to defecate
E
V
Dook
“
E
V
13
Shot gun
unexpected test
E
NP
14
Jolines
toilet
E
N
15
Joint
E
N
16
Moss
scatter
E
N
17
Flash
cigarette
containing
marijuana
toilet or bush
where students
defecate
Lies
E
N
18
Lafence
F/E
C
19
Shaks
U
N
20
Gbedu
jump over the
fence illegally
alcoholic
drinks/to
drink
alcohol
party/clubbing
Y
N
21
Ginger
scold/nag
E
V
22
Soji
Understand
Y
V
N
2
4
7
suspected answers
to
exam
questions.
extraneous
materials
containing
suspected answers
to exam questions
copied in very
tiny writing on
tiny pieces of
paper.
a male lecturer
who likes to go
after
female
students
uninteresting,
especially
a
lecture
Secretary
Effizzy
A
Slang Words/Expressions Used to
Exclude other Fellow Students from Ingroup Communication
N/N
P
N
41
1
Ply wood
cabin biscuit
E
N
2
Slacker
E
N
3
Saw dust
one who is not
smart
„garri‟
(fried
grated cassava)
E
N
Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
4
Flash
Lies
E
N
32
5
Cush
„‟
E
N
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
6
Grub
food/eat
E
N/V
7
Fuzz
Police
E
N
8
Staircase
E
N
9
Apple
pears
Shaks
The findings show that there is indeed
prevalence in the use of slang among the
students of the Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria. This is shown by the 87.6% of the
respondents who use slang (see table 1).
Drinks
E
N/V
10
Beef
jealous /malice
E
N/V
11
Nosh
Eat
E
V
12
Chaw
Eat
E
V
13
Organize
beat up
E
V
14
Juman
E
N
15
Yahoozee
a student who is
timid
or
inexperienced
Boyfriend
E
N
16
Bobo
Lies
I
N
17
Raw
something new
E
N
18
Chop kras
Mad
E
A
19
Agro
E
V
20
Lamba
violent quarrel or
disagreement
Money
E
N
21
Lafence
F/E
V
22
Maga
to jump the fence
illegally
a gullible person
E
N
23
Till mama
calls
Rearrange
till day break
E
C
request
for
something
especially money
Hunger
E
V
E
N
Money
H
N
24
25
&
26
War
in
middle
belt
Ayuba
27
Gobe
Trouble
I
N
28
Cush
Money
E
N
29
Organize
beat up
E
V
30
Massacre
scramble for food
E
V
31
Soji
Understand
Y
V
Fante
Run
E
V
Secondly, the data analysed establishes the
fact that there are exclusive slang words
used by both male and female students
with male students constituting the highest
number of users as reflected by the 62.4%
of respondents agreeing to this fact
compared to 37.6% who felt that female
students used more slang than their male
counterparts. The findings also prove that,
male students use more slang than female
students.
It was also established from the findings
that, slang apart from being a language of
in-group identity among the subjects; it
equally performs an important social
function of either excluding or including
outsiders from in- group communication. It
was interesting to observe how the subjects
in some cases switched to „coded‟ slang
intended to shut out the researcher during
her non-participatory observation.From the
findings, those likely to be excluded
through the use of slang are lecturers or
invigilators whom the students used slang
words to exclude from their discussions
especially during examinations to prevent
such lecturers or invigilators from knowing
they (students) intend to cheat. This
explains why many of the slang words are
coded names for extraneous materials
brought into the examination hall as well
as other forms of examination malpractice
laced in slang words and expressions. The
findings also show that coded slang words
are used by male students to excludefemale
students especially with regards to issues
pertaining to sexual encounters/escapade
and dating which have the highest number
of coded slang words and expressions. This
is not surprising and is explained
42
Terna-Abah, M. N. / NileJES; April 2016
succinctly by Stockwell (262) who opines
that “slang terms tend to be over
lexicalized in areas of life which are or
have been taboo: sex, death, excrement,
drunkenness and intoxication, racism,
sexism, homophobia and so on.”
Chapman, Robert. (ed) New Dictionary of
American Slang. New York: Harper and
Row. 1986. Print
Dumas, Bethany and Jonathan Lighter. “Is
Slang a Word for Linguists?” American
Speech, Kansas University, Duke: Duke
University Press, 53.1 (1978): 5-17. Print.
CONCLUSION
Slang as used by the subjects of this study
is not just a symbol of identity, but a potent
tool that empowers them to decide whom
to include or exclude from decoding their
in-group
communication.
This
corroborates the words of Toivanen (1)
who while defining slang posits that slang
is a,
Eble, Connie, “Slang: Deviation or Norm”
10th LACUS Forum „ed‟ Manning, Pierre,
and J. McCalla, J. South Carolina:
Hornbeam Press, (1984): 3-4. Print.
The Ephemerality of American College
Slang” 15th LACUS Forum „ed‟ Brend
R.M. and Lockwood, D.G. Illinois:
LACUS, (1989): 1-2. Print.
a language characterized by a built-in
unorthodoxy (as opposed to formal
written and spoken language of the
entire society) enforcing a certain
intimacy between its users and thus
performing a function of including or
excluding people from social circle),
and encoding some shared experience
or common outlook to speech and
elusiveness.
Ellis,
Yvette.“What
is
Slang?”
Contemporary
French
online.
http//www.well.ac.uk/cfol/slang.asp. 10th
June, 2016. Web.
Flexner, Stuart. Preface to Dictionary of
American Slang. New York: Crowell,
1975. Print.
Grossman, Arny and Joan Tucker.“Gender
Differences and Sexism in the Knowledge
and Use of
Slang Sex Roles” A Journal
of
Research,
Brandeis
University.
Waltham: Brandeis University Press,
37.101. (1997)13-17. Print.
Yule (258) offers explanations to this
practice by maintaining that, “as we look
more closely at variation in speech style,
we can see that it is not only a function of
speakers‟ social class and attention to
speech, but it is also influenced by their
perception of their listeners.” This
perception invariably determines whether
such listeners will be part of the discussion
or not through the use or otherwise of
coded slang words.
Jonathan, McKee and Fred Lynch. “What
is‟ a Fo‟ Sheezy, Do They Run When They
See
You
coming?‟
http//www/source4ym.com/teenlingo/articl
e.asp. 10th June, 2016. Web.
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44