Social Influence Whether as a protective device or
as a weapon of rebellion, slang carried through the
1990’s the identity, reputation, and communication
strategies of a particular group exercising individual
expression and seeking popularity or like connec-
tion. A woman might be identified as a “bitch,” or a
“beeotch.” A “playah” was one for the girls to stay
clear of, and a “pigeon” was one for the guys to avoid.
More attractive were the “chicas” and “dawgs”; most
revered were the “homeys” or the “gangstas,” or “Gs.”
People impressed others with money or jewelry
(“bills,” “bling,” or “coin”) or offered nothing as a
“buzzkill,” “borechore,” or “geek.” They could relax
by “chillin’,” show anger by “going postal,” or chal-
lenge another to “throw down” (fight). They might
opt instead to “get blazed” (drunk or high) or just
“bounce” (leave). Those who impressed were
“phat,” “dope,” or “fly”; those who had exceptional
attributes were “hella pimpin’.” If none of the above
were applicable or stress was incurred, then one
might suggest anything from “Don’t have a cow,
man” and “Eat my shorts” (references toThe Simp-
sons) to “Talk to the hand,” “what-ever,” or “your
mom,” resorting to the throwback insult known as
part of “the dozens” and in earlier decades begin-
ning with “your mother.”
Technological and Commercial Influence The slang
of the 1990’s was both exclusive to particular subcul-
tures and globally inclusive. This was attributable to
the increasing availability and accessibility of such
profoundly unique technology as the Internet, Palm
Pilots, and BlackBerries. Besides having linguistic
components that included the adoption, alteration,
and incorporation of borrowed parts of speech—
which has been the case for language for centuries—
slang took on the tenor and technique that the new
technology introduced.
Computer superstars, experts with the new tech-
nology, would no longer be the “nerds” sent into em-
barrassed exclusivity but the “geeks” sought after by
those who formerly had ostracized them. Instant
messaging, also known as “IM-ing,” would give way to
“text messaging,” then reduced linguistically to
“texting.” This activity would yield a complete leg-
end of slang, acronyms, and abbreviations that be-
came words in their own right. OMG meant “Oh my
God,” IDK translated to “I don’t know,” and LOL was
“laughing out loud.” Words were replaced with num-
bers, as 2 for “to” and 4 for “for.” This truncated and
tech-driven way of visual communication was pro-
moted by the musical prodigy Prince, among others.
Marketing and advertising would have the next
angle in selling to a target audience—not only be-
cause of the general slang but also thanks to the
technology-specific slang turned, hopefully, into slo-
gan. Fairly catchy slogans such as Nike’s “Just do it”
were used in the movement to empower people
while also trying to convince them that empower-
ment was available in a high-tech shoe. The slogan
“Got milk?” was popular thanks to clever ads by the
California Milk Processor Board and became the
material for everything fromSaturday Night Liveskits
to branded T-shirts. Short-lived but briefly effective
slogans included “Yo quiero Taco Bell” (“I want Taco
Bell” in Spanish), spoken by a low-rider accessory
chihuahua come alive, and Volkswagen’s one-word
Fahrvergnügen (“driving enjoyment” in German)
made a stake in the profit cycle.
Most popular, and most lucrative, were the slo-
gans that either played on the combination of tech-
nology and related slang, that were borrowed from a
target demographic, or that were invented to be
based on that subculture and accompanying vernac-
ular. Apple Computer introduced a variation of an
earlier common adverbial phrase by bringing out
posters and billboards—featuring world-famous
personalities such as Albert Einstein—that read
“Think different.” Sun Microsystems claimed during
the dot-com bubble that “We put the dot in dot-
com.” Product and service proponents latched onto
labels and bandied about cyberslang and names—
Bluetooth, blogging, and BlackBerry (so addictive
that it was also known as “CrackBerry”)—while pull-
ing from the slang of the decade as seated in contem-
porary media, music, and culture.
Impact As with slang or slogans of any decade,
those of the 1990’s not only took inspiration from
the culture at large but also informed and influ-
enced society. Hard-hitting and emotionally loaded
slang characterized reactive and expressive subcul-
tures, unconventional slang and metaphorical slo-
gans reflected the rapidly growing technology-based
culture, and colloquial phenomenon-specific lan-
guage and jargon exemplified an accelerated com-
mercial society.
Further Reading
Allan, Keith, and Kate Burridge.Euphemism and
Dysphemism: Language Used as Shield and Weapon.780 Slang and slogans The Nineties in America