As the cultural landscape of Gen Z continues to change, so does the language used by UMKC students.
Assisted by various social media platforms, Gen Z is constantly creating new phrases and lingo to use in their everyday lives.
According to Britannica, “The processes by which words become slang are the same as those by which other words in the language change their form or meaning or both.”
This means these slang words have a natural way of changing their meaning or form over time, depending on the party using them.
“It’s hard to keep up with slang because it’s so fast. You have to be constantly engaged with social media in order to stay up to date,” said graduate assistant at the Applied Language Institute Anh Vo.
Vo sees these slang words and phrases as a way to spice up one’s vocabulary.
“For me it feels like people use them because they’re trendy words and it’s a signifier of a specific community. It’s just a word,” said Vo. “They have more variety now but the meaning is already there.”
Students offered insights into how slang shapes their communication and cultural identity. Some see slang as more of a conversational obstacle rather than innovation.
“For the most part, I think most of the slang people use is just stupid,” said criminal justice major Latasha Moss, citing phrases like ‘no cap’¹, ‘let him cook’² and ‘delulu’³.
Others took a more analytical stance on the words.
“I’m familiar with some of it, but not all,” said psychology major Frankie Cardwell. “Terms like ‘sigma’⁴ and ‘skibidi’⁵ remain a mystery to me though.”
Some students are frequent users of this slang.
“I use words like ‘period’⁶ and ‘she ate’⁷ quite often in my vocabulary,” said media arts major Jackson Brink. He also noted that TikTok and other forms of social media are a significant source for learning and using new slang.
The students’ perspectives illustrate the nature of language among Gen Z and how it’s typically very unserious and comical.
As this new kind of slang grows, it reflects our changing culture. It shapes how younger generations communicate and connect.
No Cap¹ – I’m not lying
Let Him Cook² – Let’s see where this goes, let him do his thing
Delulu³ – Delusional
Sigma⁴ – Male archetype or a cool guy
Skibidi⁵ – Can be used as an adjective anywhere, sometimes used to begin a sentence, often followed by ‘toilet’
Period⁶ – Yay
She Ate⁷ – Did exceptionally well
