Speaking in slang complicates the ability to convey meaning
Over spring break, I was given the task of speaking in primarily slang.
Upon first hearing the assignment, I thought “Oh, piece of cake.”
I thought wrong.
Apparently, I am more eloquent than I give myself credit for, because I found it incredibly difficult to convey what I was thinking in a manner that could be categorized as “slang”.
Rather than asking, “Mom, what’s for dinner?”, I would ask, “Yo, moms, what’s the deal with din?” Or, instead of saying to a friend, “Hey, do you want to come over?”, I was forced to say “Yo, let’s hang come to the crib!”
Speaking in slang was funny at first, but after a few days, I just felt annoying and tried not to talk as much.
Do not get me wrong: I loved having an excuse to sound like an idiot. But, there are times when slang feels unnecessary and counterproductive.
My week of slang taught me the importance of diction. Every word was created for a reason and to fill a certain role.
If people continue to shorten words for convenience or get rid of them entirely, humanity will be doomed to a miniscule vocabulary and a language of gibberish.
