February is special because of the celebration of Black History Month in United States and many other countries. It is an event to celebrate the heritage of African-American people. From their history, their struggle against racism, to their culture.
So, in this article, we will discuss some of the most common words used in African-American slang!
“also called african american vernacular english or AAVE, if i may add.” – @alasadulloh
You may have heard these words in hip-hop music and Hollywood movies. Like any other slang, they can’t be used in formal settings.
In fact, some can only be used among African-American people. They’d think it’s offensive if it’s used by other race. Which one? Let’s see from this list … plays something hip-hop to begin the session
1. Aight. Meaning: ‘Alright.’ Used at the end of a sentence to confirm.
- Example:
-
Nobody gonna bring yo
-
u down, aight?
-
2. Bling. Meaning: accessories with diamonds, worn by rappers. Inspired by the sounds diamond makes when moved.
3. Blown up. Meaning: very angry, or becoming very popular at short time.
- Example:
- “50 Cent has blown the fuck up!”
4. Bomb. Meaning: Something very cool.
- Example:
- “The new Beyonce album is the bomb, man!”
5. Boo. Meaning: Girlfriend/boyfriend; “boo = bae xD” – @nazhifa189
- Example:
- “You will always be my boo.”
6. Booty. Meaning: Butt.
- Example:
- “That guy has been staring at my booty.”
7. Candy-ass. Meaning: Weak or wimpy.
- Example:
- “Stop crying, you’re such a candy-ass!”
8. Crib. Meaning: House.
- Example:
- “Welcome to my crib, yo!”
9. Folks. Meaning: People. In Australia, ‘folks’ is a slang that means “parents.”
- Example:
- “These guys are my folks, they’re with through happiness and sadness.”
10. Ho. Meaning: Slut, prostitute.
- Example:
- “That ho stole my boyfriend!”
11. Hood. Meaning: The ghetto, a community of African-American.
- Example:
- “I’m gonna meet my folks at the hood tonight.”
12. Holla. Meaning: A greeting OR expression of happiness.
- Example:
- “Holla! My boy just picked off that pass!”
13. Mo. Meaning: Short version for ‘more’.
- Example:
- “Remember that mo money means mo problem!”
14. Gangsta. Meaning: A gang member or something cool.
- Example:
- “That Nike hoodies are so gangsta.”
15. Ghetto. Meaning: Something that is not high-cultured.
- Example:
- “It’s ghetto when your hair is longer in the front than in the back.”
- I think “it’s so ghetto” has the same feeling as “alay banget” in Indonesian language, no?
16. Peep. Meaning: Friends.
- Example:
- “Come hang with me and my peeps!”
17. Pimp. Meaning: Something good, cool, profitable or turning into something good.
- Example:
- “Let me pimp your car for you.”
Important note about African-American slang:
The word ‘nigga’ may only be used among themselves. ‘Nigga’ is usually used as greeting or to mention a black person. But it still has a negative connotation when used by other race. So don’t use it unless you want to get into trouble!
Compiled and written by @animenur for @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, January 31, 2015
Related post(s):
- #UKSlang: Clothing
- #UKSlang: “Bloody hell!”
- #USSlang: Italian gangsters slang
- #USSlang: ‘Basic bitch’
- #USSlang: Historical dictionary of American slang
^MQ
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