State of Youth Slang In France

[Grant Barrett]

If you read French, this article in Le Monde is a fascinating look at
current youth slang in France (though I suspect that, like such
articles in American newspapers, it might need to be looked at with a
lick-block of salt).

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3230,36-402088,0.html

-- It is claimed the English word "bad" is used in the same slang sense
it has had in the U.S. since at least 1984, where it equals "cool" or
"good." Also, one of the kids (white) uses the English word "Black" as
a term for black members of his cohort and, apparently, no matter the
race, they call each other "négro": do these show the influence hip-hop
culture?

-- It is claimed that "verlan" (slang-speak in which words are
reversed) is now little-used, since it has become so well-known and
adopted by the mainstream.

-- A large part of the article concerns teaching young people to speak
mainstream French rather than city slang, so that they can function
outside of their neighborhood and peer groups. This parallels similar
debates in the United States. In one part, the author quotes a person
who says youngsters calling about internships open with statements like
"Hello? It's about an internship" rather than starting with the formal
or polite language still customary in business settings.

-- The article claims some kids have an active vocabulary of 350 to 400
words and that they lack the polite language necessary for engaging
with strangers. It is described how they are basically unable to defend
themselves against accusations of law-breaking, or even of being late,
because of their impoverished vocabulary.

Grant Barrett
gbarrett at worldnewyork.org