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Natasya Rahma, Meristika Moetia (2024) An Analysis of Using Slang Word in Social Media X, (06) 08,
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AN ANALYSIS OF USING SLANG WORD IN SOCIAL MEDIA X
Natasya Rahma, Meristika Moetia
Sekolah Tinggi Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Muhammadiyah Aceh Barat Daya, Indonesia
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Abstract
Slang is a form of language that is modified or shortened to make concepts shorter and easier
to understand by certain groups. Although slang is informal, it can increase friendliness and
enjoyment of everyday communication. Therefore, this research seeks to provide a analysis of
the types of slang commonly used on social media X. This research uses qualitative research.
The qualitative research used is descriptive qualitative research. The researcher chose the
purposive sampling method for this research. Data collection techniques were carried out by
taking screenshots and reading and writing techniques. As part of this research, social media
data revealed that slang can be categorized into word types and structures. Results based on
Allan & Burridge (2006) show that the forms of slang found on social media are very diverse,
creative and active, including fresh and creative, flippant, imitative, acronyms and clipping.
The results of the research show that, there are 3 social media accounts X that the researcher
chose as samples for this research, namely Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Lady Gaga. The
researchers examined 5 types of slang words, namely fresh and creative of 17%, flippant of
17%, imitative of 23%, acronym of 20% and clipping of 23%. The slang words most
frequently used by the 3 samples that researchers took on social media X were Clipping and
imitative with a percentage of 23%.
Keywords: Language, Slang, social media x
INTRODUCTION
Language is used to convey something to other people. The meaning conveyed by the
speaker can be interpreted and understood by the listener or interlocutor through the language
that they uses. Sulaeman & Dwihudhana, (2019) state that language also functions as a tool
to unify the nation because language is agreed upon as a whole by a group with the aim of
facilitating communication between individuals or groups and to understand the intentions
and objectives of the interlocutor quickly and precisely. Language can also be non-verbal
(written, gestures, facial expressions, etc.) and verbal (spoken). Apart from that, language can
also help people to convey ideas, thoughts, feelings and information more efficiently.
Language also functions as a symbol of culture and identity of a society or group. Language
can also develop and change over time, influenced by various factors, such as technological
developments, intercultural relations, and social changes. This makes language a dynamic and
constantly changing tool.
Linguistics is a science that studies language systematically, including the structure,
origins, development, and use of language by humans. In linguistics, the relationship between
language and society is called sociolinguistics (Budiasa, Savitri, Shanti, & Dewi, 2021).
JOURNAL SYNTAX IDEA
p–ISSN: 2723-4339 e-ISSN: 2548-1398
Vol. 6, No. 08, Agustus 2024
Natasya Rahma, Meristika Moetia
3564 Syntax Idea, Vol. 6, No. 08, Agustus 2024
According to (Marni, Tiawati, Helda, & Rahmat, 2024) sociolinguistics is a field that
investigates the relationship between speakers and language communities, as well as the
characteristics and various variations of language. Sociolinguistics examines how language is
influenced by social factors, such as social class, ethnicity, gender, age, and communication
context (Febrianty, Ramadhani, Putri, Octaviani, & Sholihatin, 2023). Sociolinguistics also
studies language variations, including different dialects, accents and language styles in
society.
One of many branch that sociolinguistics studies is slang . Slang, according to (Aswin,
Mohammed, Liew, & Syed, 2015) , is a language that is widely used in daily conversations by
teenagers or certain social groups. Slang, according to (Firdausi, 2022) is a type of informal
English that has developed, especially used by the younger generation or members of the
same social group (Jeresano & Carretero, 2022). There are no rules that define how slang
emerges; it is a type of language that develops spontaneously. Slang is usually a simplification
or deviation from the formal language used in everyday communication. This can include
using phrases or idioms that few people understand or creating sentences that are
ungrammatical.
In everyday life, slang is often used to express certain identities or social groups. Slang
is also a way to more easily identify people from a particular group or to foster a sense of
solidarity with members of the same group. Slang is also often used to express affection and
closeness between members of the same group. Slang words are not only used in everyday
communication but slang words can also be found on current social media where social media
X has become modern communication. On Social Media X, slang terms have become
symbols of a rapidly growing digital culture. As technology advances and platforms diversify,
analyzing the use of slang on social media X becomes increasingly important to understand
how language evolves in this context.
RESEARCH METHOD
This research uses qualitative research. The qualitative research used is descriptive
qualitative research. According to Bogdan and Biklen in (Sugiyono, 2020), the descriptive
qualitative research method collects data in the form of words or pictures, so it does not
emphasize numbers. The data collected after analysis is then described so that it is easy for
other people to understand. The data in this research is in the form of slang which is then
grouped into 5 types, namely: Fresh and creative, flippant, imitate, acronyms, and clipping,
and then the researcher looks for what types of slang words are often used on social media X.
In this research, the researchers chose foreign pop genre singers as research subjects,
consisting of 3 singers, 2 female, and 1 male. According to , purposive sampling which
includes balanced representation between men and women is important to maintain the
validity and reliability of research results. With 1 male and 2 female in the sample, the
research has a higher chance of gaining comprehensive insight into the problem under study
and can also save time and resources. Researchers chose foreign singers in the pop genre
because researchers used a purposive sampling method. According to (Sugiyono, 2019),
purposive sampling is a sampling technique using certain considerations according to the
desired criteria to determine the number of samples to be studied. Data obtained from X's
social media from 2017 to 2024, such as how they write captions or stories that contain
slang.Data collection techniques were carried out using screenshots from laptops and
smartphone containing writing containing slang words, as well as reading and writing
techniques. (Hollweck, 2015) stated that data collection techniques using smartphone
screenshots can be an effective data collection method in qualitative research. He stated that
An Analysis of Using Slang Word in Social Media X
Syntax Idea, Vol. 6, No. 08, Agustus 2024 3565
by using this technique, researchers can easily collect accurate and reliable visual evidence,
which can help in describing and analyzing the phenomena under study. (Charmaz, 2014) also
believes that data collection techniques that involve writing and reading are also effective
methods in qualitative research. The data analysis technique in this research is thematic,
namely identifying data based on types of slang words and then grouping the types of slang
words that are most frequently used. Johnson, Kelemen, Grimes, Stein, & Groninger, 2021;
Zahidi & Sulaiman, (2023) states that thematic analysis is an effective way to search for and
group frequently used slang words in data. This can help find several themes or concepts
related to these slang words. By using this technique, researchers can see patterns of slang
word use in certain contexts and understand their social implications.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The results of this research were obtained in 7 years from 2017 to 2024 on the 3 X
social media accounts that the researchers chosen as samples for this research, namely Taylor
Swift, Ed Sheeran HQ, and Lady Gaga Now. Then, from the results of the analysis of these 3
accounts, researchers obtained 5 types of slang words, namely fresh and creative, flippant,
imitative, acronym, and clipping (Situmorang & Herman, 2021). After that, the researcher
grouped the types of slang words used on the 3 X social media accounts that the researcher
chose as research samples. Next, the researchers grouped the types of slang words that are
most frequently used (Jeresano & Carretero, 2022).
Fresh And Creative
Fresh and creative is a new language that triggers contemporaryness and creativity in
communication.
Table 1. Findings of Fresh and Creative slang word types on X's social media accounts.
No
Account
Name
Data from media Social X
Slang
Word
1.
Taylor
Swiff
“Chicago that was sooooo
epic.”
Epic
“Dressing room is lit.”
Lit
2.
Ed
Sheeran
HQ
“Ed performing Stan with
@eminem in Detroit”
Stan
“Record stores, jazzy
glasses and pink pianos”
Jazzy
3.
Lady
Gaga Now
“It's part of the hype.”
Hype
“Extra Level: Lady Gaga
pulling out her Oscar from
her purse.”
Extra
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3566 Syntax Idea, Vol. 6, No. 08, Agustus 2024
FLIPPANT
Flippant is an expression that describes a style of language that is rude, impolite, or
lacks respect for other people.
Table 2. Findings of Flippant slang word types on X's social media accounts.
No
Account
Name
Data from media Social X
Slang
Word
Meaning
1.
Taylor
Swiff
“I scream “For whatever
it’s worth, i love you aint
that the worst thing you
ever heard?”
Whatever
The term is used to say "nothing
at all" or express indifference.
“Cat lady thirst trap.”
Thirst
Trap
A term that refers to objects that
attract the attention of the
opposite sex in a sexual manner.
2.
Ed
Sheeran
HQ
“Whatever happens, if the
worst case scenario
happens, we're still going to
be in love."worst-case
Whatever
This term is used to ignore a
question or express indifference.
Awesome shirt
Awesome
The term meant here is to show
extraordinary admiration.
3.
Lady
Gaga
Now
“Lady Gaga is not smoking
dope anymore.”
Dope
A term that refers to illegal drugs
or narcotics.
“When my Grindr hookup
ghosts me.”
Ghost
The term ghost comes from the
English word which means
shadow
Therefore, the term "Ghost"
emerged, which means
something that disappears
without a trace, such as a shadow
or ghost.
IMITATIVE
Imitative is the use of words or expressions that imitate or communicate something by
imitating the sound, action, or characteristics of something.
Table 3. Findings of Imitative slang word types on X's social media accounts.
No
Account
Name
Data from media Social X
Slang
Word
Meaning
1.
Taylor
Swiff
“Basic human rights”
Basic
Describes something that is
neither original nor mainstream.
“Good luck, sending all the
good vibes your way!!!”
Vibes
Describes the mood of the
situation that occurred.
An Analysis of Using Slang Word in Social Media X
Syntax Idea, Vol. 6, No. 08, Agustus 2024 3567
No
Account
Name
Data from media Social X
Slang
Word
Meaning
2.
Ed Sheeran
HQ
“This sick 2step remix”
Sick
Describes a very stunning
appearance.
“Ed’s got a mood for every
day of the week”
Mood
Describe feelings or emotions.
3.
Lady Gaga
Now
“Dude thinks it's 2009󺈮󺈪󺈫󺈬󺈯󺈭”
Dude
A casual greeting between
friends.
“see u soon bestie.”
Bestie
A call to describe the figure of
the person closest to you.
ACRONYM
An acronym is a language expression created by shortening or taking abbreviations
from words that are commonly used in everyday life.
Table 4. Findings of Acronym slang word types on X's social media accounts.
No
Account
Name
Data from media Social X
Slang
Word
Meaning
1.
Taylor
Swiff
“OMG folklore and evermore.”
OMG
Usually used by someone
when they witness
something extraordinary or
something difficult to
believe. Meaning for oh my
good.
“FYI, he was a white supremacist
newspaper editor who published
pro-lynching editorials and incited
the arson of the office of Ida B.”
FYI
A term for conveying
information, meaning for
your information.
2.
Ed
Sheeran
HQ
“Need a bite of that ASAP.”
ASAP
A term used to ask someone
to do something so that it
can be done as soon as
possible. This means As
soon as possible.
“Incredible views from Copenhagen.
Let’s see your POV!”
POV
A term that refers to a
person's view on something.
It means point of view.
3.
Lady
Gaga
Now
“read the article lol.”
LOL
To express a strong reaction
to something funny. It
means Laugh Out Loud.
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3568 Syntax Idea, Vol. 6, No. 08, Agustus 2024
CLIPPING
Clipping is a shortened word to create a new slang word that is shorter and easier to use
in everyday conversation.
Table 5. Findings of Clipping slang word types on X's social media accounts.
No
Account
Name
Data from Media Social X
Slang
Word
Meaning
1.
Taylor
Swift
“Jack’s version of ‘sexy baby’ is
‘art bro’ and we sincerely hope it
confuses just as many people.”
Bro
Nickname for a male friend,
which means brother.
“Can’t wait to watch
@Disclosure_Doc on @netflix
today!!”
Doc
Here, the word "doc" means to
describe a piece of
documentation, meaning a
document.
2.
Ed
Sheeran
HQ
“I met @JBALVIN in a gym in
New York last year.”
Gym
Here, “gym” is a word that
refers to a place to exercise.
Gym is an abbreviation of
"gymnasium".
“More info here.”
Info
Info Abbreviation for
"information", often used to
tell other people something.
3.
Lady
Gaga
Now
“THEM we’re fam ❤.”
Fam
A word that refers to a close
friend or family member.
Family, this is a word in
English.
“Haus Labs will also launch a
Concealer Brush on Sept. 7.”
Sept
The word “sept” here is used
to refer to the month. Which
means september.
After identifying the data based on the types of slang words, it was discovered that there
were 5 slang categories in the 3 samples researcher took, namely fresh and creative, flippant,
imitative, acronym and clipping (Setyowati & Yanottama, 2023). To explain how much usage
there was between the 3 samples researcher took, it can seen the diagram below.
Figure 1. Diagram Type of slang word
An Analysis of Using Slang Word in Social Media X
Syntax Idea, Vol. 6, No. 08, Agustus 2024 3569
From the diagram above, it can be seen that the slang words used on social media X for
the 3 samples researcher took are fresh and creative of 17%, flippant of 17%, imitative of
23%, acronym of 20% and clipping of 23%. The slang words most frequently used by the 3
samples that researchers took on social media X were Clipping and imitative with a
percentage of 23%.
CONCLUSSION
Based on research result regarding the analysis of the use of slang word on social media
X, It can be concluded that slang is a form of language that is changed or shortened, so that
the concept is shorter and easier to understand by certain groups. According to Chaer and
Agustina (2014), slang words are a unique and secret social type that is only used by certain
groups. This is very limited and unknown to people outside the group. In this study,
researchers analyzed the use of slang words on three of X's social media accounts from 2017
to 2024, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran HQ, and Lady Gaga Now. Researchers found 5 types of
slang words used by 3 users of social media account X, namely fresh and creative, flippant,
imitative, acronyms, and clipping. The types of slang words that most used on social media X
are clipping and imitation with a percentage of 23%. This research highlights the importance
of understanding and utilizing slang words to improve communication and understanding
between various social media platforms.
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