What is slang? "Slang occurs chiefly in a casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect
             (Dictionary.Com)." I define slang as a living language that evolves with time. Although it can be very useful among peers and those from the same culture, in more formal settings it can cause confusion during communication and create problems.
             Among peers, they tend to speak slang more often then others. Its understood primarily within that group. For the most part, they grew up in the similar neighborhoods, around the similar people, dealing with similar issues. They also share a commonality within taste of music, fashion, and other forms of entertainment. Many of celebrities don't make it easy for the youth to stop the usage of slang, mainly because they use it in their lyrics in which the youth emulate. In this way, slang has enabled them to communicate thoroughly with one another.
             Culture plays a role in the confusion of slang. Words have contrasting interpretations depending on the cultural background. Such as, in America, the word yo is used as a greeting. If said in a Spanish-speaking country it would take on the meaning of I. Two decades ago, the word chips referred to money in American slang. In England however, chips refers to what we call "French fries". In this way slang can be very confusing because the proper meaning may not be conveyed. Also, it makes it more difficult for other cultures to mix with American culture, and vice versa.
             Slang can be a barrier to communication. The confusion lies in the translation of the word being used. A slang term used today may have a different meaning than the one used several years ago. For example, the word down has two different meanings. When used in the context of are you down, it can tran
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