Exploring Samo’s unique slang

Gregory BoehmStaff WriterSamo has, in many ways, developed its own distinct culture. As in most cultures, widespread use of slang is embedded amongst the population. The use of these slang words is almost impossible to avoid when socializing with friends from Samo or even just walking around  school at lunch. Words like “brood,” “dip,” “doint” and “sketch” are just a few of the many colloquialisms unique to Samo.These words seem to just pop out of nowhere, and we often accept them as a part of our culture without questioning their origin.“[Slang words] all root back to previous Samo terms, but “speef,” especially with the X [an arm gesture where both arms cross to create an x] is all me,” senior Lucas Benacerraf said.But how many others claim that they started a phrase or word? Tracing back the origins of a slang word is no easy task.  Just like in the game “telephone,” words morph and change as they are relayed from person to person.However, some students, like senior Sasha Strohkendl, do not like to use slang at all.“Frankly I don’t see the point. Why would anyone want to exclude people who don’t know what they are saying,” Strohkendle said.For example, “woh” is a word often added to the end of otherwords in order to add emphasis. In fact, it is not a word but really just a sound.Most slang words including the elusive suffix “wuhn,” pronounced as “woh,”  are very ambiguous and can be interpreted to mean many things.“Most people think of the number one, but no. That’s not at all what it means. It refers pretty much to like… you could say someone is ‘brief-woh’ or, ‘Oh, that is doint-woh.’ It’s really just a little extra word you throw on. It has no meaning,” Benacerraf said.Slang words are also quite interesting because they are constantly being created, but at the same time constantly being argued about. There ambiguity is what makes them so unique. The truth about slang is that there are always new words being created. There are dictionaries over 600 pages long of American slang, that do not often include “Samo slang.”“It’s cool that we have a language that we can all use together and that we all understand, but then no one else does,” senior Clara Lysy said.gboehm@thesamohi.com