All 1 entries tagged <em>Innovation</em>Christopher StrellufThis blog explores what people do with language, and what language does to people. Ideas expressed in this blog are my own, and are not endorsed by my employer.https://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/cstrelluf/tag/innovation/?atom=atomWarwick Blogs, University of Warwick(C) 2024 Christopher Strelluf2024-03-29T07:04:36ZWords communities should learn to be ready for university students by Christopher StrellufChristopher Strellufhttps://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/cstrelluf/entry/university_words_that/2020-03-17T23:22:52Z2019-09-25T12:40:37Z<p>Just before the start of the 2019/2020 academic year, I was asked to provide a list of "words university students should learn to be ready for their new community." The request was, of course, just a gimmick to drive traffic to a commercial site. "Local words" exist much more in people's conceptualisations of local dialects than in reality. Linguistically, the interesting differences between dialects don't exist in words but in the domains of phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, and pragmatics and discourse. Lexical differences between dialects tend to be pretty shallow, and in most communities local lexicons are given way to regional and national lexicons.</p>
<p>But perhaps most importantly, "traditional speakers of a local dialect" (i.e., the older people whose speech is representative of a local variety) aren't really doing anything innovative with words. By definition (if they exist), they're just using old words. The innovation is happening in the speech of young people. So, if anybody should be learning new words, it's the local community, which is going to have to try to keep up with the language of the young innovative speakers descending into their clubs, pubs, and Ikeas.</p>
<p>Therefore, I surveyed new linguistics students at Warwick to determine their best slang. This is their dictionary.</p>
<p> Word: peng (adj.)<br />
Definition: attractive<br />
Example sentence: They’re really <i>peng</i>. I want to chat them up. </p>
<p> Word: bare (1, adj.)<br />
Definition: a lot<br />
Example sentence: He’s got <i>bare</i> money.</p>
<p> Word: bare (2, adv.)<br />
Definition: very<br />
Example sentence: This song is <i>bare</i> good. </p>
<p> Word: lit (adj.)<br />
Definition: good<br />
Example sentence: That was a <i>lit</i> Wasps fixture. </p>
<p> Word: gucci (adj.)<br />
Definition: good<br />
Example sentence: It’s all <i>gucci</i> in our flat. </p>
<p> Word: bevved (adj.)<br />
Definition: very drunk<br />
Example sentence: He is proper <i>bevved</i> from the club. </p>
<p> Word: rec (n.)<br />
Definition: park<br />
Example sentence: We’re going to the <i>rec</i> for a kick-about. </p>
<p> Word: paigon (n.)<br />
Definition: a person who does nothing; a person who should not be given attention; a person who cannot be trusted<br />
Example sentence: "I do want to use this to say that Theresa May is a <i>paigon</i> and you know what we're doing right now." - Stormzy in <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/stormzy-paigon-theresa-may-gq-awards" target="_new">speech at GQ Awards</a> </p>
<p> Word: snake (n.)<br />
Definition: a person who betrays people<br />
Example sentence: That <i>snake</i> was bad-mouthing my friends. </p>
<p> Word: clapped (1, adj.)<br />
Definition: ugly<br />
Example sentence: That bloke over there is <i>clapped</i>. </p>
<p> Word: clapped (2, adj.)<br />
Definition: stupid<br />
Example sentence 2: That was a <i>clapped</i> thing to say. </p>
<p> Word: <i>–ed</i> can be added to almost any noun to mean 'drunk'<br />
Example sentence: I got absolutely <i>wallpapered</i> last night. </p>
<p> Word: yeet (1, interjection)<br />
Definition: general exclamation of approval<br />
Example sentence: I love Warwick! <i>Yeet</i>! </p>
<p> Word: yeet (2, verb); pt. yote<br />
Definition: throw<br />
Example sentence: I <i>yote</i> the ball to Mary. She will <i>yeet</i> it back. </p><p>Just before the start of the 2019/2020 academic year, I was asked to provide a list of "words university students should learn to be ready for their new community." The request was, of course, just a gimmick to drive traffic to a commercial site. "Local words" exist much more in people's conceptualisations of local dialects than in reality. Linguistically, the interesting differences between dialects don't exist in words but in the domains of phonetics and phonology, morphology and syntax, and pragmatics and discourse. Lexical differences between dialects tend to be pretty shallow, and in most communities local lexicons are given way to regional and national lexicons.</p>
<p>But perhaps most importantly, "traditional speakers of a local dialect" (i.e., the older people whose speech is representative of a local variety) aren't really doing anything innovative with words. By definition (if they exist), they're just using old words. The innovation is happening in the speech of young people. So, if anybody should be learning new words, it's the local community, which is going to have to try to keep up with the language of the young innovative speakers descending into their clubs, pubs, and Ikeas.</p>
<p>Therefore, I surveyed new linguistics students at Warwick to determine their best slang. This is their dictionary.</p>
<p> Word: peng (adj.)<br />
Definition: attractive<br />
Example sentence: They’re really <i>peng</i>. I want to chat them up. </p>
<p> Word: bare (1, adj.)<br />
Definition: a lot<br />
Example sentence: He’s got <i>bare</i> money.</p>
<p> Word: bare (2, adv.)<br />
Definition: very<br />
Example sentence: This song is <i>bare</i> good. </p>
<p> Word: lit (adj.)<br />
Definition: good<br />
Example sentence: That was a <i>lit</i> Wasps fixture. </p>
<p> Word: gucci (adj.)<br />
Definition: good<br />
Example sentence: It’s all <i>gucci</i> in our flat. </p>
<p> Word: bevved (adj.)<br />
Definition: very drunk<br />
Example sentence: He is proper <i>bevved</i> from the club. </p>
<p> Word: rec (n.)<br />
Definition: park<br />
Example sentence: We’re going to the <i>rec</i> for a kick-about. </p>
<p> Word: paigon (n.)<br />
Definition: a person who does nothing; a person who should not be given attention; a person who cannot be trusted<br />
Example sentence: "I do want to use this to say that Theresa May is a <i>paigon</i> and you know what we're doing right now." - Stormzy in <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/stormzy-paigon-theresa-may-gq-awards" target="_new">speech at GQ Awards</a> </p>
<p> Word: snake (n.)<br />
Definition: a person who betrays people<br />
Example sentence: That <i>snake</i> was bad-mouthing my friends. </p>
<p> Word: clapped (1, adj.)<br />
Definition: ugly<br />
Example sentence: That bloke over there is <i>clapped</i>. </p>
<p> Word: clapped (2, adj.)<br />
Definition: stupid<br />
Example sentence 2: That was a <i>clapped</i> thing to say. </p>
<p> Word: <i>–ed</i> can be added to almost any noun to mean 'drunk'<br />
Example sentence: I got absolutely <i>wallpapered</i> last night. </p>
<p> Word: yeet (1, interjection)<br />
Definition: general exclamation of approval<br />
Example sentence: I love Warwick! <i>Yeet</i>! </p>
<p> Word: yeet (2, verb); pt. yote<br />
Definition: throw<br />
Example sentence: I <i>yote</i> the ball to Mary. She will <i>yeet</i> it back. </p>0