Sharing Good Practice
WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH TEENS ? LEARN THEIR LANGUAGE
By Simon Noakes
fleek . How do you get them like that ? I ’ m well jel "
Padlock ( emoji )
Someone in your life you consider locked down and loyal to you . Can be used for both friendships and relationships
" ILYSM Abbie , you ’ re my Bæ for life "
The Language of Teens : A Glossary
Wagwan Piff Ting ( don ’ t worry , it ’ s not an insult !)
Language is always changing . If it didn ’ t evolve we ’ d still be talking like we ’ re out of a Chaucer tale !
Trends in language today are largely down to the surge in technology . 20 years ago we didn ’ t Tweet news or Google everything ! There were no concerns about losing Wi-Fi , we didn ’ t speak in hashtags (# JustSaying ) and we certainly didn ’ t write entire sentences using cartoon faces and vegetables .
Today ’ s younger generation - our true digital natives - are influenced heavily by this . New terminology is pulled directly from social media channels like Instagram and Snapchat . It makes for some very confusing times as adults ; as if understanding teens wasn ’ t already hard enough !
You may have seen worlds come crashing down when streaks are lost or wondered what , or who , a bæ is ? But don ’ t worry , through some revolutionary undercover work , we ’ ve compiled a handy guide on teenage slang . It ’ s pretty sick … yanno !
You can view the full glossary at : http :// blog . interactive-schools . co . uk / blog / the-language-of-teens-a-glossary , but below are some of my favourite words .
Aired
When someone ignores you , they are said to have ' aired you '
Bæ
Your best friend or person you are in a relationship with . The person or people you put before anyone else
" Abbie , you ’ re totes my Bæ for life "
Chirps
Chatting someone up . Contextually more relevant to chatting up a female . i . e Chirpsing the birds from the trees
" Gwarn Ethan , chirpsing the girls "
Creasing
Laughing very hard . Finding something really funny
" Oml ! That video you sent me in History got me creasing so bad "
Insta
Short for Instagram
" He ’ s liked so many photos on my Insta . I wonder if he likes me ?"
Linking
When you repeatedly talk and flirt with someone specific with a view to them becoming your boyfriend or girlfriend
" It ’ s pretty obvious that you ’ re gonna go out ... you ’ re proper linking "
On Fleek
Something that looks really good . Something that has turned out exactly the way you wanted
" Chloe your eyebrows are totally on
Peak
Something that is considered bad , not good
" Ahhh man this weather is peak . I wanted to go out with my Faves but the rain will ruin my hair "
Peng
Something that is considered sexy or good
" Oi oi ! You ’ re well peng "
Piff Ting
Someone who is considered an attractive person
" Wagwan piff ting . You is looking peng !"
Sick
Something that is considered good
" Had such a sick weekend round my Bezzo ' s house . Same time next week , yeah ?"
Streaks
Streaks are on Snapchat and represent the streak someone has with a friend . Streaks are produced after snaps are sent between two people for three or more days
" I ' m not coming out tonight or I ' ll lose my phone privileges again - not losing my streaks again !"
Wagwaan
Literally means ‘ What is going on ?’, ‘ What ’ s up ?’, or ‘ Hello ’
" Wagwaan G ! You coming down the park today ?"
" Can you believe Sophie ? She totally aired me back there . I swear I ' m done with her peakness "
| 18 | Sep - Oct 2017 Class Time
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Simon is the CEO and Founder of Interactive Schools . A father of 4 , he founded Interactive Schools in 2006 . He utilizes his experience and passion for strategic marketing , thought leadership , social media , brand values , technology and innovative thinking to assist schools in telling their unique # SchoolStories . Tweet him @ SimonNoakes