Everything evolves as we venture into the 21st century in this vast and modern world. For decades, if not longer, the generational divide has been a contentious topic. Generation Z or also known as Gen Z is currently the generation that is continuously in the spotlight due to a social fixation with youth. Although Generation Z has some characteristics in common with its forebears, it also has its own specific demands and goals, particularly in terms of communication. This is due to the significant influence where their way of communication or language is set by technology, age, and linguistics and choices of vocabulary.
According to Pew Research Center (2019), Gen Z is defined as anyone born between 1997 and 2012. The question is, do people speak differently depending on their age? The answer is Yes. Albeit it may not seem entirely logical, research conducted based on age cohorts demonstrates that people do converse differently depending on their age. As for Gen Z, their language is set by technology and it’s safe to say, the way they communicate can only be used in spoken form and not written. The reason for this is that it can be informal to be used in a written form. Undoubtedly, technology has entirely changed and influenced the use of jargon / slang. For instance, the spread of slang through a famous platform named Tiktok. Previously, if the food was good, we would say “This is delicious.” Now, Gen Z replaced it with the word “bussing”. For context – “The food is bussin”. Not only that, one word or slang can also be used in many different contexts depending on the situation.
Looking into age and linguistics, as mentioned before, people do speak differently depending on their age. In the Gen Z world, the use of the suffix “-in” is heavily used at the end of every verb as compared to the use of gerund, “-ing” (Babbel Magazine, 2018). For instance, the phrase “What are you doing?” can be changed to “What are you doin’?” or simply “Whatcha doin’?” We can spot how informal these phrases can be, hence, they are only acceptable for communicating purposes rather than in written form. The formation of the sentence structure sets the boundaries between formal and informal language. Apart from that, the usage of “-in” is also recognized as the less prestigious form of language as compared to the use of gerund “-ing” which is more prestigious. This goes back to the formality of the language.
In order to stay relevant, most people find it necessary to keep up with Gen Z’s lexical resources, also known as choices of vocabulary. This is to ensure that they do not miss out on any “hot teas” going on. It is undeniably interesting that this vocabulary used or invented by Gen Z is circulating in our daily conversation. Referring to the images attached, a professor compiled the list of vocabulary that he discovered from his young students, to stay relevant. If we are not used to their terms, it would be difficult, as, frankly speaking, it can be tricky. What used to be “mood” is now “vibes.” They are interesting if we indulge in them but at the end of the day, it all goes back to preferences.
It is just a matter of getting used to them. Perhaps it occurred at your neighborhood coffee shop or while you stood in the grocery store line. Whatever generation we belong to, we have had this experience in which we pass a gathering of young adults and hear something we think is completely odd. The words and phrases you thought you could not grasp at all are actually a whole language that the Gen Z generation uses to communicate with one another. In MAHSA University, the majority of the students belong to the Gen Z population. If you do not belong to Gen Z, let us take some time to be young again and incorporate their language into our daily communication to ensure that we stay relevant and updated with them! Despite the difficulties, there is always room for improvement each day. If you belong in Gen Z, make sure to make the others feel at home. Our Teaching English as Second Language (TESL) program will expose the potential students to many kinds of latest trends relating to the English language, inclusive of the latest teaching methods in English as Second Language (ESL), surely, you will not miss out!