LnR 046 Hip Hop Slang (JK!)

Slang - Jargon - Regional Expressions

A conversation between a student and a teacher (me!)

A: Miss Buswell, can you teach us some slang words?

B: Well, I have a short answer and a long answer. The short answer is "no".

A: What's the long answer?

B: Slang is for a certain group of people, in a certain place, sometimes in a certain time.

A: We want to learn some hip hop slang!

B: Well, you're talking to the wrong person! Few people of my generation listen to hip hop and rap. I don't even know the difference between the two!

A: How can we learn it?

B: Simple. Listen to the music and read articles about it online.

A: I've heard of the word "bling".

B: Yeah, that's an example of a slang word that is now commonly used. It means flashy, expensive jewelry.

A: Right.

B: Now, you know I'm from the South.

A: South America?

B: No, the southern part of the U.S. We have words in the South that others areas don't use. "Fixing to" means "about to" or "getting ready to". And "y'all" means "you all", or the plural form of "you". "Y'all" is very common in the South. But I don't use it when I talk to you and I don't teach it, because it's not useful to you unless you are going to live in the South.