Morphology/Semantics Activity

Tereso Abrahan Pedroza

ENG420
Los Angeles Pacific University
No cap
No cap- The expression no cap is slang meaning "no lie" or "for real," often used to emphasize
someone is not exaggerating about something hard to believe

A young individual was talking to his friend at the mall about a popular chicken sandwich made at
Popeyes. He used the expression no cap several times. Regarding the chicken sandwich, he said
“no cap, the chicken sandwich was flight”.
Loud pack
Loud pack- A bag of very very strong smelling Kush (type of marijuana),that is
sooo loud it overpowers every scent.

Two teenagers at the mall were concerned about the police being able to smell of
marijuana on them. They used it in a sentence like this,” bro lets leave, the cops are
going to smell this loud pack”.
He needs some milk
He needs some milk- When someone is hurt so bad, or something goes so wrong,
that no other words can describe it.

I have heard a few Jr high students say this expression when someone falls or gets
injured. The security guard fell on a tray of food, and a few students yelled, “he
needs some milk.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=045hRqlkAxM
Turnt
Turnt- Excessive drinking, almost drunk or drunk. Partied so hard, it was a very
crazy party.

Student I work with often say this word in regards to a party they would go
during the weekend, or if there was alcohol involved.
 Lit
Lit- When something is amazing, having to much fun, or experiencing something
new. This can also be used to say that someone was intoxicated or drunk

Students refer to the meaning “lit” when a house party was fun, or an activity they
did.
Finna
Finna- A another way to use the words going to.

Many students say this word in there regular conversations. “Im finna head to
lunch” “Finna start my work” “ You finna be at the party?”
 Bye, Felicia
This saying started from the 1995 film “Friday.” Ice Cube’s character dismissed a
character named Felicia because she was asking for money and other items and
they did not like her. She was an annoyance.

It’s used as dismissive term which is used when a person is seen as irrelevant,
annoying, or is disliked.
 Extra
This is used to mean unnecessarily dramatic and over the top.

“You’re being extra”

“There’s no need for you to be extra”

 Lowkey / Highkey

“Lowkey” is said when a person wants to be discrete or secretive about

something but still want people to know.

“I lowkey love walmart”

“High Key” is when you are assertively into something and want everyone to
know.

“I highkey love going to Disneyland”

Bamboozled
Bamboozled- When an individual feels tricked, or conned about something.

Students have said this word in a few times, this week I heard it when a student felt
the a teacher gave him a grade he did not agree with. He was under the impression if
he did a project a certain way, the teacher would give him extra credit. “ Oh man,
Mrs. Angela said if I showed my work she would give me extra credit, she
bamboozled me”.
 Reflection
In today’s society, language between teenagers includes slang and it is motivated by the meme culture. Some of
the terms used have been around for decades but are being used more and more by teenagers. Going in, I knew I
would hear a lot of slang words and expressions. Some of the language used is what I’ve seen online and heard
around work between students and other teenagers. Not all groups are heard saying the more provocative slang
expressions like “Loud Pack” because each speaker variates their speech according to the audience which Yule
(2017) calls speech accommodation. Some of the expressions used are those that are used even by adults
amongst their friends and unprofessional settings. I was shocked that even at a young some teenagers are using
other provocative and sexual expressions with each other. According to Dr. Allen and Dr. Waterman, the frontal
lobe is still developing and are the last areas of the brain to mature. The frontal lobes play a role in complex
decision making and impulse control. Middle adolescents are still going through physical changes, romantic and
sexual interests begins, and they are struggling for more independence (2019).

Brain Regions from Arizona State

University School of Life Sciences
Ask A Biologist
Adolescent Language and Communication
“Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. It includes some big
changes—to the body, and to the way a young person relates to the world,” (Allen & Waterman, 2019).
At the adolescent stage of 14 to 17 and even some 18 year olds are still trying to figure themselves out
and want to set themselves apart from adults like teachers and their parents. Many of them are concerned
about their appearance and peer pressure is at its peak. This shared language is both intrapersonal
communication because they are trying to find their place among their peers and interpersonal
communication by the way that they communicate with each other and others who are not in their “group”.
The language always has to do with the group of teenagers that are interacting with each other and the
specific context or situation. Slang is part of the social life and is a “marker of group identity during a
limited stage of life such as early adolescence,” and it supports the idea that it is an important factor in
social variation in language (Yule, 2017, p.726).
Comparisons/Connections
I think when we were young adults, or teenagers we all created and used slang or other linguistic
practices to fit in. When I was a teenager we used the word chillax. It was composed of two words, chill
and relax. We would use it when teacher or security guards would get angry at us. As time goes on, and
working with young adults, I am able to see the change of words, or lingo being used with young adults. I
see similarities between my development and the teens I observed, what I was able to see is that social
media plays a vital role in a teenagers life, and communication. Often young adults start to speak in a
manner that is popular on social media. When I was a young adult, media played a role in our language,
we often would say or talk what was popular on tv or in music. These were some of the few similarities I
was able to observe while doing this assignment.
Conclusion
A conclusion I was able to draw out is language can change, and many factors play into language
change, such factors include culture, social media, music, and how their parents talk. For example, I noticed
many spanish speakers change from Spanish to English in a conversation often. I also notice that young
adults who are bilingual use slang in spanish, and use it when speaking English. During my observation I
was constantly thinking of words, expressions used with my peers. Although I graduated high school over
ten years ago, I see many similarities of words and expressions. I also noticed different words and
expressions are used in the different types of groups of students in school. During my research for this
project many words that teenagers make up become so popular that they eventually become real words and
are put into dictionaries. An example these words are yolo, selfie, and whatevs. All these words are so
popular among young adults that they actually become part of the English language. This teaches me that
although some words are slang, they do have the potential to become part of our daily language. So it is
important to know what is being said, and what it means.
Future Classroom and Approach
I believe it is crucial to keep up with how young adults are speaking. Oftentimes our students will
communicate to us in their own language, using vocabulary that they use. We need to be able to understand
what they are saying, and be able to offer the proper help they need. I plan to always try to keep up with the
language young adults use, fortunately I work at a school where many students talk to me, and at the same I
am able to learn the new words that they are using. I also think it is important to know the linguistics they
use because as educators we can teach them to use correct words or pronunciation. We should be able to
teach them to be ready for the world, be able to speak properly to find a job, and how to speak to people not
just their peers. This does change how I would approach students from a linguistic perspective, instead just
ignore what they say, or how to say it. We should try to learn what is being said, and understand their
perspective of why it is being used. I also believe that if we can communicate with our students and connect
with them then we will have a better rapport with them.
Resources
Allen, B., & Waterman, H. (2019, March 28). Stages of Adolescence. Retrieved from
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Stages-of-Adolescence.aspx.

Yule, G. (2017). The study of language (6th ed.) Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Szymik, B. (2011). Brain Regions, [image]. Retrieved from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/brain-regions

Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com/.