Due to my recent project, I have been researching textual data and natural language processing. My quiz game used machine learning algorythms to go through the textual data and create the sentiment analysis.
But, lets have some fun with this kind of data.
The Lifecycle of Slang: From Birth to Obsolescence
Learning how to catagorize information is a major part of data analysis. For example, this is how scolars catagorize the slang word lifecycle:
Emergence: A term gains traction within a subculture.
Adoption: The word is picked up by mainstream culture.
Peak Popularity: The term reaches widespread use.
Decline: Overuse or cultural shifts cause the term to fall out of favor.
Obsolescence: The word fades, often replaced by newer terms.
For example, the word “cool” began in the jazz scene of the 1940s before becoming a timeless part of the English language. Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer reveals that “cool” has maintained consistent popularity since the 1960s, with only minor fluctuations .
Data-Driven Insights: Tracking Slang Over Decades
Analyzing slang through data helps us visualize its rise and fall. Google Trends and linguistic databases like COHA (Corpus of Historical American English) provide clear timelines. For example, “groovy” peaked during the 1960s and 70s, reflecting the counterculture movement of that era, but quickly fell out of favor by the 1980s . On the other hand, terms like “lit” and “vibe,” which gained popularity in the 2010s, continue to maintain relevance today thanks to their versatility and connection to youth culture .
After learning abour COHA, I wanted to learn about the history of the word "dude". This was a staple word through my life to my mid twenties. I literally had to word to use other words to stop including Dude into every other sentance. But, I still use the word when showing utter disgust at my friends when they decide to fart in front of a fan. (Yes, this happens.)
I looked up the word Dude on COHA. Wow, I was suprised to find the word was more used in the 2000-2010s than in the 80s and 90s. Below is the chart for the word dude on the COHA web site.
It turns out that this is measuring TV and movies. I know there were way more shows and movies in the 2000's and 2010's than before, but that many more used the word dude?
What does Google Trends say about this?
So, this shows a rise in interest, again suprising. The notes say that there were improvements on their ratings, but we see the rise near the end before the next note, so I believe that can still be interpreted as the use of the word Dude on Google going up. Guess which U.S.A State says Dude more than the rest. Guess, you won't get it... Wyoming! What? Wyoming!?!?!
Dude.
Anyway, hope you had fun reading this. It was fun to write.
Apperently, I am not the only one who wrote about this:
A History of the Word ‘Dude’ in The Times - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
There are so many more articles on the word dude. Have fun exploring.
John Zyski
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