For centuries, teenagers, ethnic groups and religious groupshave been devising, defining arefining languages all their own. It is all about empowerment and creating a sense of community that excludes the people in power, which tend to be parents and teachers in teenagers' lives, said Clarence Major, an American literature professor at University of California-Davis. Slang words have become so ingrained in American culture that whole dictionaries full of idiomatic words and expressions have been compiled. Language researchers, or linguists, have discovered that many of the words we consider to be slang originated hundreds of years ago. In the United States, two of the most powerful influences on slang have been African-American and Yiddish cultures.
Advocates say that by using idiomatic black speech, students preserve their cultural heritage.
Language researchers, or linguists, have discovered that many of the words we consider to be slang originated hundreds of years ago.