slanguage

/ˈslæŋˌɡwɪd͡ʒ/

Etymology

Blend of slang + (lang)uage.

Why this word is great

SLANGUAGE — [Noun] A particular vernacular or vocabulary of slang; the jargon or lingo of a specific group. A blend of 'slang' (informal, nonstandard vocabulary) and 'language' (system of communication), it is the linguistic fingerprint of subcultures and fleeting moments. Unlike 'jargon' (which clings to professions like a uniform) or 'dialect' (which roots itself in geography or tradition), 'slanguage' is the ephemeral poetry of the streets, the playground, the underground. It is the coded banter of skateboarders ollieing over curbs, the hushed exchange of a back-alley deal sealed with a knowing 'word,' or the way teenagers repurpose old words like 'fire' until they burn out from overuse. A language that lives fast and dies young, leaving only the faintest echo in the archives of nostalgia.

noun

  1. A particular vernacular or vocabulary of slang; the jargon or lingo of a particular group.“Slanguage words tend to lead mayfly lives, counting their duration by days instead of decades. For every one that survives there are dozens of crib deaths.”