According to a report in The Daily Telegraph some teachers are trying to talk to students using the kids’ own slang.
This is a form of words called ‘Gen Z slang.’
By the way, that generation is pronounced Gen ZED—definitely not Gen ZEE!
The report said that Australian teachers are being told to stop using ‘Gen Z slang’ in the classroom with phrases such as ‘rizz’, ‘aura farming’, ‘bro’, and ‘lock in’ increasingly creep into teacher talk.
So, why is this such a bad idea?
Well, the report says that at least some education experts are saying using the kids’ slang is like ‘wearing a clown costume to make friends.’
This phrase comes from teaching expert Adam Voight who warns that teachers trying to talk like teenagers can backfire—instead of connecting with the kids, the teachers can lose their own authority.
He said that teachers should always model formal and respectful language, not the latest slang.
Is this right?
Well, it all depends on how the slang terms are employed.
Teachers should not USE them, but they can QUOTE them.
Here’s an example of the difference.
If a teacher in a Shakespeare lesson (do schools have those anymore?) were to say. ‘Romeo had real rizz’ he would be using the slang word.
But if he said, ‘Romeo had what you might call rizz in today’s language’—that is quoting not using.
It is displaying an understanding of how slang changes with each generation and quoting a newish expression to make a Shakespearean point.
In this example of ‘quoting’ the teacher is not pretending to be young and hip, but to be an authoritative teacher who understands that language changes.
Can you see the difference?
Mind you, it is also wrong to overplay how important new slang is.
There is no unique, massive generational language shift going on—there is just the normal shift in slang terms that happens in every generation and has happened for many generations.
By the way, for parents and grandparents the same rule applies.
Don’t try to use the kids’ slang as if you were one of them—but you can quote it back to them (making it clear that you are quoting) to explain a point in their language.
That’s the differencing between ‘using’ and ‘quoting.’
Tonight I will join Jaimie Rogers (filling in for Peta) on the 'Credlin' program on Sky News for 'Words Matter.'
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BY THE WAY...
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