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The Ephemeral Nature of College Slang: Trends and Timeless Terms

Connie Eble's research at the University of North Carolina highlights the impermanence of college slang, revealing that only 10% of slang terms persisted from 1980 to 1987, and just four out of 200 words remained unchanged from 1972 to 1987. Slang evolves rapidly, with some terms eventually entering standard usage, while others fade away. Eble's findings suggest a continuous transformation in language, reflecting changing cultural dynamics. This analysis compares earlier findings with more recent observations from 2008 and 2010, raising questions about the future of slang.

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The Ephemeral Nature of College Slang: Trends and Timeless Terms

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  1. Transformations of Slang over Time Connie Eble (1996), who studied college slang at the University of North Carolina, found that in a seven-year span (1980-1987), only 10 percent of the college slang lexicon remained in use, and over fifteen years (1972-1987), only four out of two hundred words stayed the same. Slang is, she concludes, quite ephemeral. Slang Synonyms In college slang there are particular words that generate the most synonyms, listed below. Compare Eble’s findings from 1972-1993 with our class findings from 2008 and 2010. Obviously, a lot has changed. But have slang words changed much in the past 2 years?! • But not all slang words are ephemeral! • “Eventually, some slang passes into standard speech; other slang flourishes for a time with varying popularity and then is forgotten; finally, some slang is never fully accepted nor completely forgotten. O.K., jazz, and A-bomb were recently considered slang, but they are now standard usages. Bluebelly, Lucifer, and the bee’s knees have faded from popular use. Bones (dice), beat it, and cool seem destined to remain slang forever. Chaucer used the first and Shakespeare used the second” (Flexner1986:xix). • “No slang word can top ‘cool,’ which linguist Pamela Munro ranks as one of the longest-standing slang words on campus. ‘Cool,’ which originated in New York jazz clubs in the 1930s, ‘has immense staying power,’ says Munro. ‘I don’t know any other words like that. I think ‘cool’ is just amazing” (Elie 2001).

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