Lingo in Limbo - What does it mean for Teachers?
Lingos are of significant interest to linguists because they exist within the subsets of linguistics, by observing the significance of individual words or sentences through semantics and their meaning in a broader social context through pragmatics.
In this scenario, the subject is in a particular group of lingos. They are a repeating phenomenon, and, as such, they are referred to as being in a "limbo."
What actually happens?
It happens everywhere globally, and their development starts and stops on average around the same age groups.
Primarily, the vocabulary changes with popular culture, based on location and time period.
What does it do?
Pragmatically, it determines how connected one is to the pulse of the generation, breeding a sense of friendship and relatable to one's peers within a broader social context. Subsequently affecting social dynamics by the groups to whom the vocabulary belongs to.
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What does it look like?
As an example, to describe the situation that something is relevant to a degree of excitement, an earlier generation may have used the term "cool"; most recently some generations have used the word "lit" to describe the same situation.
And yet, presently, both words have lost their relevance in popular culture, subsequently replaced by other words by the next dominant generation.
When does it happen?
Different age groups tend to retain their "speaking style" along with adopting bits and pieces of the vocabularies that appear after their dominant period is seemingly over, making their vocabulary "out of fashion."
This period is usually in the early teens, typically around 13 years and onwards, with influences from materials that the subjects may have been exposed to since they were ten years old or younger, up until they are around 22 years old. This phenomenon occurs unrelated to language, dialects, or accents; however, the variety of vocabulary often in between these groups can also vary due to those factors.
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How may it affect teachers?
The teacher being privy of certain cultural aspects and terminologies can help the students better communicate and adequately navigate their role in the classroom, especially if we consider the teacher's role as a psychologist.
As younger students are often more empathetic and cooperative with teachers they feel most comfortable with, they are more likely to convey their thoughts and participate productively. Especially in children with challenging behavior, it is to the benefit of all parties involved that they can.
Can it be implemented as a disciplinary tool?
It may be impossible to always keep up with these changing vocabularies. Still, a simple interest in trying to be aware of them will prevent moments of disconnect for the teachers.
A classroom is not just where lectures are given and received. The dynamics that exist often dictates the success of the entire institution.
The idea is to create an atmosphere of comfort while maintaining a modicum of mutual respect. It can even lead to the development of a classroom atmosphere where a teacher's policing role is minimized to a significant level.
The students are more likely to maintain a good rapport with the teacher, which again goes back to the teacher's idea of needing to do the same.
Therefore, a good teacher can use this tool to improve and maintain discipline, morale, and attention in the classroom. And utilize it to direct attention to the tasks at hand, in a way which the students may be more readily acceptable.
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