As explained in the history part, around the 17th century the cultural differences in America started to influence the English speaking population, and thus slang expanded.
It consists of three big parts, namely California slang, US Navy slang, and African American Vernacular English.
California Slang
People from California love to use and make up their own slang, adding colour and personality to the language. A lot of the slang used in California is also used by the rest of the United States, partially because of Hollywood and partially because a lot of people want to move to California.
Here are some examples of California slang:
Bail - to leave a place
Butthurt - to be upset over a small thing
Clutch - When something unexpectedly has something that helps a situation
Boss - something cool or flashy
US Navy slang
The navy has a ton of terms and jargon, some of which are used in common English as slang. For example:
Aye - Yes (I understand)
Balls to the wall - full throttle, with maximum effort
Cluster fuck - When something is unorganised, with poor results
Dirtbag - An offensive term used in the navy to refer to someone who has no life outside the navy to insult a sailor.
African American Vernacular English
The African American population has coined a huge amount of slang words. Almost half of all slang in America comes from African American Vernacular.
Some popular AAVE words and expressions are:
What's good? - What's up?
Who dat? - Who is that?
For real - A proclamation of honesty
Tight - Either an adjective that describes closeness between competitors or an adjective meaning stylish or cool
Crib - Home
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