# Slang By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-09-02 Language is dynamic. [[Words]] can be created as needed and the definitions for given words are always open for modification. Slang is a particularly interesting area of linguistics as it is a subculture's development of a unique language for the “in” group which through its usage separates it from a dominant group. Perhaps the most obvious manifestation of this is when teenagers use slang that parents do not understand. Slang emerges from a need. This need often reflects a peculiarity of a given moment. That is one of the reasons why slang is so easily dated. It captures something of a unique moment and when times change the slang becomes stale. An example of this is the 1960s phrase “far-out.” As defined by Merriam-Webster, something is far-out when it is marked by a considerable departure from convention or tradition. Since the 1960s were defined largely by its pronounced counterculture, it isn’t surprising that a term was needed to capture variation from the norm. Likewise, once that cultural moment was gone the need for that particular slang term went with it. Managers benefit from listening to organizational slang. What are people saying and how are they saying it? If managers don’t understand what the slang is or means, one can assume they are in the “out” group. Figuring out what the slang means is a positive step toward [[understanding]] what is going on within the organization. If managers try to understand and address these concerns, it would be really far-out. #### Related Items [[Language]] [[Management]] [[Culture]] [[Subculture]] [[Counterculture]]