Blog #9 : Slang and language change

1. Summary of the lecture

    Slang was used only among specific groups. By doing this, they wanted to prevent understanding of others. However, slang is becoming popular and is also used among well educated people today. Nowadays, it is said that it is fun to use slang.

2. Examples of Japanese slang

(1) スマホ

     This is an abbreviation of smart phone. Many young people use this word. The meaning of this word is a mobile phone which has various functions like computers and works very quickly. Because many people thought that the mobile phone was very clever, the mobile phone was named smart phone.

(2) 草食男子　（そうしょくだんし）

      The meaning of this word is a boy who is extremely shy. This word is often used among boys who have almost no courage to talk to girls. The origin of this word is that such boys are seen too pessimistic like herbivorous animals.

(3) 婚活　(こんかつ)

     This word means activity to find a marrige partner. Someone who has some problems to find a partner use this word. Nowadays, there are many men and women who get married late in lives. It is difficult for them to find partners. Therefore, they need to do some activities so that they can get married. That is why the word was named "Konkatsu".

3. My opinion

    I think the reason why slang is used instead of proper words is that it is easier to use slang than proper words. Also, we can enjoy ourselves if we talk for a long time by using slang. The pronunciation of slang sounds fun. However, I fear a little that people will forget the importance of proper Japanese words in the future.

Blog #9: Slang and Language Change

Language change constantly and slang is what the Unit 1 focused on. Slang is used by everyone and it gives people distinct identity, sense of belonging, and status. It is still considered taboo, but  most people use it quite freely nowadays.

1. テンパる

Meaning: to panic

The slang originally comes form mah-jong word　聴牌（てんぱい）る meaning 'a state where you can finish with one more card'. It was only used by mah-jong players but it began to also mean 'being completely prepared' and 'being completely full', but then it began to hold a worse meaning 'to be up to the chin'. The slang is used by young boys and girls nowadays.

2. おこ

Meaning: angry

The slang's original word is 怒る（おこる） and shorten to おこ which is very simple. The slang is used among young people, often girls, on Twitter.

3. 高まる

Meaning: getting excited

The slang is a way to say you are getting excited but by not saying your　feeling is getting excited(気持ちが)高まる.

In my point of view, using slang words shows that you know the latest slang words which gives young people status and not excluded.

Naoko Iwanaga

Blog #9: Slang and Language Change (Unit 1)

12-011-052 Tomohiko Ebashi
1. Summary of the lecture
 We cannot stop language change from happening, as long as we keep on using them. Slang words were used to be considered taboo, but now the situation is different. Along with the development of new technologies such as Internet, the usage of slang words has rapidly expanded, and people of any age can enjoy its convenience in their daily lives. The usage of slang words was often associated with the uneducated people, but now it is being studied seriously by the linguists.

2. Three Japanese Slang
* Uzai(ウザい): A word that expresses that someone or something is annoying you in a certain way. This word had been originally used by some teenage girls who like to act cool, but now this word is becoming unisex.

*Maji(マジ): A word to express that you are serious in a certain way. It can be used in a question form to ask whether the speaker is serious or not. This is no longer a teenage word, but is very popular among many age-groups.

*Yabai(ヤバい): A word to express either a person is extraordinary in a certain way, or something is beyond your expectation. This word used to be popular only among the young generation, but now it is used by many people of other generations.

3. Why do people choose to use these slang instead of using proper words?
  We usually use "uzai", whenever you want the listener to sympathize in your feeling of annoyance. On the other hand, we like to use "maji-de?" whenever the speaker says something shocking. This word is almighty, when you are wondering how to respond in someone's comment. "Yabai" is another almighty word, when you have difficulty in describing an object or a person. All of these three words are very useful for Japanese people, since we always have to "ku-uki wo yomu (= read the atmosphere)", tacitly. Usage of these words is one way to avoid breaking the ambiance of the conversation. In other words, we often use ambiguous words instead of using proper words with a definite meaning.

Blog #9 Unit 1: Slang and Language Change

Hello, this is Yuma.

1． This lecture talking about slang in any languages. In this lecture, slang is informal language and used in overall world. The function of slang is prevents understanding outside of the group and gives distinct identity.

2． ガラケー＝Galapagos Cellphone= Japanese cellphone

The word of “Galapagos” means Galapagos Islands, which famous for the animals that evolved in original way because it is isolated by other lands.  Galapagos Cellphone represents Japanese cellphone evolved in original way than other countries’ cellphone such as “ワンセグ”, “赤外線通信”, and “電子マネー”.

メアド= Mail address

      The word of”メアド” is abbreviated the word of mail address which combined of each word’s first and second letters. The first letter of “メ” is abbreviated “mail” and the second and third letter of “アド” is abbreviated “address”.

カラオケ=空オーケストラ= Karaoke

      The word of “カラオケ” is abbreviated Japanese slang of “空オーケストラ” means “singing without playing instruments”.

3． I think these Japanese slangs are represents involved the group of young people. They think share the slang as commonsense of youth is determine they are not like older people, because people think young people could keep up with the trend like slang. On the other hand, people have an image of older people as couldn’t keep up with any trends. This is a reason why people use slangs in Japan.