By Sophia Whang
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
She’s usually all about the bling-bling, but doesn’t
cares if that baldwin isn’t rolling deep with cash;
he’s got nice assets.
Can’t make sense of it all? “u.c.l.a. slang 4″
can. But despite what the name might indicate, UCLA’s fourth
slang dictionary is not a revision, but a newly written
version.
It includes current slang in the form of nouns, verbs,
adjectives, interjections and even imperatives that reflect
American college students, especially those who attend UCLA.
“In addition to just the amusement value (of the
dictionary), people often find it interesting to think about the
meanings and think about whether we have really correctly captured
the words,” said Pamela Munro, professor of linguistics,
speaking of her class which wrote the book.
Munro and her fall 2000 Linguistics 88A class researched
published slang books, previous UCLA slang collections and a
database of words from student volunteers she had been compiling
since 1983.
The follow-up class held during the 2001 winter quarter met to
edit and expand the research of the book. Students Ashlee Bonds,
David Chene, Christopher Fromm, Jason Miller and David Sedrak were
particularly instrumental and were given writing credit.
“In the point of view of most UCLA students, the main
reason they would buy (the dictionary) is to enjoy it and have fun
and I think that’s a perfectly legitimate reason,”
Munro said.
It is fortunate, however, that the product of months of
meticulous research and planning does more than provide
entertainment. Munro cites at least three groups of people for whom
the book is valuable in additional ways.
“One group is parents because they think (the book) will
help them understand their kids,” Munro said. “Another
group of people are those who actually study slang, and they are
very interested in this book. Then there are writers, a group that
has made use of these books in the past. People who write
screenplays and TV scripts often use our book to get an idea of
words that are current at UCLA.”
While parents, linguists and screenplay writers may stand in
line in Ackerman Union to buy this dictionary, students have a
completely different approach to such a book.
“I don’t think (the book) is helpful because I
don’t think anyone would be picking up slang from the
dictionary to use it, or if they used it, I’m sure
they’d be using it wrong,” said Chris Rivas, a 2001
UCLA graduate in political science.
“I think it’s an entertaining book, but I just pick
up slang on the streets,” he added.
Although the dictionary provides a variety of expressions, those
that refer to drunkeness and sex far outnumber the others.
There is also slang exclusive to the UCLA community, such as
“Diddy,” short for Diddy Riese cookies that can be
bought in Westwood, “camp out” for the overnight wait
for tickets outside Pauley Pavillion, “sex box” for the
individual study rooms with no windows and recently removed locks,
and “Buck Fitty” for the well-known submarine
sandwiches at Roll-Inn.
Slang has changed within the past four years since the 1997
version was written. These changes are reflected in the new version
with new entries, different meanings for words and the omission of
words that are no longer current.
The slang featured in the dictionary is like a completely
different language since it is characteristic of UCLA culture.
Many students such as Zhaklin Ovsepyan, a fourth-year political
science and English student, recognized the benefits of such a
resource.
“I think the dictionary is probably necessary if
you’re new in the country, but it’s cool to see how we,
as a society, have changed all these words to our own
benefit,” Ovsepyan said.