Language & Dialects
A system of communication that uses words and grammatical rules to convey meaning, such as English, Spanish, or Mandarin.
Language
In "She was like, 'Are you serious?'" the word like serves this grammatical function.
Quotative
The hypothesis that the language we speak can influence how we think.
Linguistic Relativity
This platform is particularly associated with the rapid spread of contemporary slang, memes, and brainrot.
TikTok
In 1950s slang, someone who was boring, conventional, or hopelessly uncool was called this geometric shape.
A square
A regional or social variety of a language, with its own systematic patterns.
Dialect (or Variety)
In "I might could help you," the speaker uses this grammatical construction.
Double Modal
Boroditsky describes speakers who routinely use north, south, east, and west rather than left and right. These are called ___ directions.
Cardinal
This term describes the often absurd, repetitive, and ironic language and memes associated with excessive internet consumption.
Brainrot
In 1980s slang, if something was "gnarly," what might someone mean?
Extreme, impressive, or difficult
The ability of speakers of two different varieties to understand one another.
Mutual intelligibility
Switching between informal language with friends and more formal language with professors is an example of this.
Register shifting
The stronger claim that language strictly limits or determines what its speakers can think is called linguistic ___.
Determinism
Slang is especially important during this stage of life, when people are developing their identities and social relationships.
Adolescence
Complete this classic 1980s Valley Girl expression of disgust: “Gag me with a _____!”
spoon
The socially prestigious variety often used in schools, government, and formal writing.
Standard variety / Prestige Variety
In many Southern varieties of English, the vowels /ɪ/ and /ɛ/ are pronounced alike before nasal consonants such as /m/ and /n/. This phenomenon is called the...
The pin / pen merger
German speakers tend to describe bridges as "beautiful" or "elegant," while Spanish speakers use words like "strong" or "sturdy." Boroditsky linked this difference to what grammatical feature?
Grammatical Gender
These systems determine which content users see on social media, influencing which slang expressions become popular.
Algorithms
In 1920s slang, if someone called you "the bee's knees," what did they mean?
You're excellent / the best
Hindi and Urdu are often discussed as an example of how this, rather than just mutual intelligibility, can influence whether varieties are considered separate languages.
Politics / national identity
In "That's, like, really expensive," like functions as this, rather than introducing reported speech.
Focuser
According to Boroditsky, speakers of Kuuk Thaayorre arrange pictures showing the passage of time in this direction, regardless of which way they're facing.
East to West
Slang can communicate that someone belongs to a particular social group, making it a marker of this.
Identity / group membership
In 1990s slang, if someone described your outfit as “phat,” they meant this.
cool, excellent, attractive