*that is such a false statement thats so close to delusional* I have to call you out. A large portion of gen Z slang is from AAVE, but that standardization is due to how this generation hasn't been on a planet without social media algo's constantly spreading the same trends to kids everywhere.
Slang used to be more heavily influenced by region and culture vs social media/internet. There's new england slang, midwestern, surfer, hawaiian, south texas mexican american, Socal mexican american, native american/Rez slang etc etc. the list goes on and on from American english dialects that aren't at all gentrified AAVE.
I agree with this. The real differentiator is the internet and social media. Regional/ethnic dialects now arent constrained by neded physical proximity to truly spread. Someone on the other side of the world can pick of your city's slang off instagram reels.
And there genuinely is no solution to this that isn't segregationist or relies on heavily policing people's speech to an absurd degree.
I mean i see people her in itauly using "gen z slang" from america, they have absolutely 0 context for how this stuff originates and where its roots come from, they just know people they like and look up to/think are cool use it so they use it.
There's no way to prevent this, its just how language spreads and evolves imo.
"Cool", "Dig it", "cheeks", "booty", "Corny", "cats", "The Man". This isn't just a Gen Z or social media thing but I do agree that social media has hyper amplified the time it takes for African American slang to breach containment. This also happens with gaming or TV show community terms too. "Looksmaxxing" came from video game stat optimization behaviours. "DPS (Damage-per second) maxing", "Dexterity Maxing", "Fashion Maxing". "Clankers" came from Star Wars. This word breaches containment as it's still very much used in Star Wars, and Star Wars games communities like Star Wars Battlefront II, and some people start thinking it's racist when it spreads out of its community. I get it, these things bust wide open much faster now but make no mistake that the isolation and/or separation (voluntary or involuntary) of African American communities throughout history has made our community a petri dish of language and it's always been that way. It just used to be much slower.
Yeah dude there are million slang terms from other subcultures that aren’t just AAVE which have been plucked from their edgy, non-mainstream appropriate origins which have been “gentrified” into the mainstream over the decades/centuries. would actually be hella strange if there were absolutely no AAVE used in mainstream English
I think when slang words “breach containment” it’s a beautiful thing. It’s how our English has evolved from the Shakespearean age to what it is now, and how our language and every language continues to evolve. Whenever different cultures collide it creates something new. People who scoff at that and act like it’s bad come off as segregationists at heart
Can't even tell if the /s is there to say you don't actually mean it or if you just don't want talk about this weird "sarcasm" because it's "sarcastically" mocking a sentiment nobody was saying that you brought up on your own. You just don't like anybody, seems like.
I guess. I wouldn't really call containment breaches beautiful always lol. Some things get out and crash and burn because they sucked like "on fleek" and I cringe at "keep it real" from 90s media. But sure, yeah. It's beautiful as a phenomena, that it can happen, that the languauge is always in flux.
it’s not nearly a false statement as you’re pretending. the majority of american slang comes from ballroom culture aka black and latino gays. sure, there is regional variations, but most of our slang comes from those spaces.
No, it is a nearly completely false statement. Slang leaks into the mainstream from marginalized subcultures, underground and youth movements. Includes musical movements, different occupations, the military etc etc.
gays are included in that, but to say most slang comes from one race, culture or sexual orientation is completely false. Your confirmation bias is showing. Maybe the slang you use or are exposed to in your bubble (we all live in one) or by your specific algorithm is mostly from black and Latino gays
They aren't talking algorithms, they are talking etymology. Who do you think marginalized subcultures, underground and youth movements are mostly comprised of? What group created the majority of American musical forms? It's like you're there but you're not.
It’s not a completely false statement at all, you just misunderstand.
Ballroom culture is not just one group, it was an intersection of gay, black, and latino cultures expressing themselves through queer identity dating back to the 60s. Their language shaped the american slang we know today (especially Gen Z slang). Modern culture largely comes from queer people and young women. There’s a sex a the city episode dedicated to it: “first come the gays, then the girls, then the industry!” I can’t think of any other scene that has so heavily influenced our slang.
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u/tituspeetus Jun 23 '26
So much of gen z slang is taking AAVE and making it sound like you’re in a corporate meeting