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Q&A Avoiding Slang whilst Writing

I don't think you need any resource other than your own intelligence and self-awareness. We know when our slang is not "standard", just don't use it. Plus, it is ephemeral anyway, the 1920's "bee...

posted 6y ago by Amadeus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-19T22:13:27Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37122
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T09:11:51Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37122
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T09:11:51Z (almost 5 years ago)
I don't think you need any resource other than your own intelligence and self-awareness. We know when our slang is not "standard", just don't use it.

Plus, it is ephemeral anyway, the 1920's "bees knees" and "flappers" are unintelligible to us now; _"copacetic"_ is a real word made popular in the 1970's but few today would recognize it. (like one meaning of "cool" it means "in excellent order", like "It's all copacetic, dude.")

Slang ages quickly. Never use it in exposition, in fact I personally avoid **_any_** word in exposition if I think a typical reader of fiction would have to look it up.

In dialogue; characters can use slang, although I'd encourage you to study the mechanics of slang development (See [Development of Slang](https://www.britannica.com/topic/slang) and [15 Reasons People Use Slang](https://www.britannica.com/topic/slang).)

In particular, slang is generally **short** to say, a few syllables, and produced by a sub-culture to reflect something unique to that sub-culture, or if it is an insult, coined by outsiders to denigrate that sub-culture, and for the purposes of diffusion, not difficult to pronounce or recall; slang words and expressions are easily learned and understood upon first hearing, and easily _explained_ in a short sentence.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-06-21T13:04:30Z (over 6 years ago)
Original score: 2