Things Are So Basic?
FEBRUARY 2015
“I don’t mean to sound all basic white girl, but I really want Starbucks” (Vohra). This recent post on Twitter, a common social media cite where people post their daily thoughts and feelings, may make no sense to a middle-aged woman. She may ask how a white girl can be basic, or be in the simplest form. However, the youth of America may retweet it, a form of enhancing a tweet’s popularity by sharing it with their specific followers. This connotation of basic in the tweet was not its original meaning. The term basic originates in a time of early science. In Merriam Webster’s dictionary the term basic is an adjective defined as, “relating to a base; performing the office of a base in a salt.” The definition refers to chemistry and is likely the first prescriptive way basic is described. Yet, this is not the only standard definition for the term. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the adjective stating, “Of, pertaining to, or forming a base; fundamental, essential.” These past two definitions show the formal uses of the word basic, and the context used in the majority of academia. However, when referring to the tweet these definitions make no sense. This is because basic is being used as a slang word in a social media context. Basic has gone through a semantic shift, and in terms of the tweet, basic’s slang denotation as an adjective is to describe females when they engage in stereotypical behavior deemed by the youth of society. Basic is no longer a simple term, but a highly complex slang word.
Basic being used in this casual informal manner is not supported by all linguist or even all generations within society. Lexicographers, those who compile dictionaries, would possibly support that the slang definition of basic is not the formal or the literal meaning. The definition is a descriptive one that deconstructs the formal English language in the eyes of some linguists. In the textbook A Linguistic Introduction, the authors Curzan and Adams discuss how one-reason Standard English enthusiasts reject slang is because it has a nonconforming manner. They state, “Slang can be rebellion against the expectation that we will use Standard English in all places and at all times. It can be rebellion against the people who embody that expectation, be they teachers or parents or other authority figures” (Curzan and Adams 120). However rebellion and destruction of the formal English language are not slang’s purposes. Slang is an invention of creativity, and is falsely accused of being a lazy generations way to simplify their lives. Basic is not a word created to deconstruct Standard English, but construct a new informal dialect. Michael Adams, a Professor at Indiana University, writes in his book Slang about the word chillax and how when first heard it eludes a sense of casualness which can be perceived as a result of a lazy lexical creator (10). Adams states, “ Clipping and blending are much more complicated and interesting social and aesthetic maneuvers than their detractors realize” (10). It takes intellect to merge and create words that challenge the “recency illusion” of linguists, which is the idea that when a word has not been heard before it is automatically wrong (Stamper 2). Basic is similar to chillax in this way, because they both were created through a multifaceted formation process that required effort. It may not require intelligence defined by high society, but it does require high levels of intellect to create slang, which morphological is understood by a distinct group and possibly a nation. Basic was not a creation of laziness but intellect, following the path of many slang words prior to its existence.
The newfound intellectual meaning of basic followed the path of a semantic shift. The semantic shift created a new slang definition for basic, which filled a lexical gap. Curzan and Adams describe Standard English as a crosswalk and slang as the shortest path, “you can take the shortest path between an idea and utterance” (121). One could wait at the crosswalk contemplating how to describe the stereotype of a typical Caucasian girl, or they could utter the word basic and define something that there is no word for. Even though basic was a preexisting word; it takes new shape to fill a lexical gap and to define the generation who is using it. Adams concludes to this idea when he states, “Often generations announce themselves by doing their thing and making up a word to use among themselves, without much concern for oldsters” (15). Basic exemplifies this use. It defines the how the current generation defines and categorizes young woman and practices. Basic illustrates generational and lexical shifts, demonstrating a main function of slang.
Another reason basic can be defined as current slang is because it is used as an efficient way to communicate in a time shaped by social media. These social media outlets are where the youth defines and places themselves into social categories based on retweets and likes. Adams supports this when he states, “More often, slang serves social purposes: to identify members of a group, to change the level of discourse in the direction of informality…” (16). A teenager could hash tag basic and by doing so they have conformed to fit into the trend of their generation. In addition, social media is another reason slang is so important. It is a non-academic setting in which slang is more effective and acceptable than Standard English. Basic is an acceptable form of communication throughout a comment or tweet instead of writing, “That girl is taking part in stereotypical behavior in society, such as buying a latte.” On social media or texting, that phrase would come off too formal and possibly even pretentious. Therefore, using basic is an efficient way to condense an idea to fit the media driven, impatient dialect present within society.
As much as slang includes and accepts, it also excludes. Adams alludes to this when he writes, “Slang is “in-group” language, the use of which designates who belongs to a group and who does not” (8). This explains a negative side of slang. Basic is used for this purpose in an unexpected manner based on the lineage of slang. Typically, slang can be used by a minority for the purpose of creating an in-group environment, or by the majority to label or demine a minority. However, basic illustrates a new purpose of in-group slang use. The word is a revolution of labeling or demining those who are seen as the majority, the stereotypical privileged Caucasian female. It is a new generational view on who is the out-group. This may be seen as a literary rebellion and a new category for the purpose of slang. Basic is complex slang redrawing social boundaries with its powerful connotation, and open the doors to a new lexical opportunity of slang.
This powerful connotation will likely not have the longevity its unknown creator might have imagined. A common trend of slang is to fade out as the generation matures. In “Slang for the Ages,” Kory Stamper discuss the word fubar, which originated in World War II and adapted the slang meaning as a term for drunk (1). Consequently, this term fell out of favor and is no longer known by most of the younger generations. When looking into the future, basic has the characteristics of fubar. Basic currently is highly circulated within this cyber era, however, this fast paced generation will move on to a new trend. Therefore, basic will always be eternally active but will not have its current impact. It may even follow in the footsteps of loser and become a bad joke or punch line. Its use to insult a typical white girl will digress, and the connotation of the word will become comical. When searching the word you can see the word making the transition, hence, why there are quizzes and articles about being basic, such as Buzzfeeds quiz named “How Basic are You?” Even though basic may seize to exist, new words will continue to go through semantic shifts to define new generations. The true future implication that may come from basic is the reshaping of slang usage. It is possible more words will be aimed at the privileged, and will reshape the slang social boundaries. Basic will nevertheless have a lasting impression on slang history but will inevitably, as history of slang likely predicts, die and be buried on the selves Urban Dictionary browser.
Works Cited
Adams, Michael. Slang: The People’s Poetry. Oxford: Oxford English Press, 2009. Print.
Adams, Michael and Anne Curzan. “Slang and Creativity.” How English Works: A
Linguistic Introduction. Longman, 2006. Print.
“basic, adj.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 1st ed. 1913. Merriam-Webster Online.
Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 2004. Web. 4 February 2015.
“basic, adj.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford
University Press, 2014. Web. 4 February 2015.
Stamper, Kory. "Slang for the Ages." The New York Times. The New York Times, 3
October 2014. Web. 4 February 2015.