As students are settling into the school year, some new “lingo” (the diction of RCHS students) has taken over Rockbridge County High School (RCHS). Many of these words can be confusing to understand, and even the context behind them can be confusing, however, this article can act as a guide to inside the lingo used among students at RCHS.
New words and phrases such as: “real,” “unreal,” “rizz,” “Ohio,” “word,” “boy,” and “cooking” have taken over the speech that students use. Although these words sound self explanatory, the meaning behind them may not be what you expect. Two RCHS students were asked to define various words/phrases.
Junior Brady Edwards was asked to define the phrase “word.”
After pondering the question for a while, Edwards said that, “the word is the word of the word.”
Although Edward’s definition was very vague, certain aspects reflect the true meaning of the word.
Junior Luke Eversole was asked to give a definition of the phrase “What the dog doing?”
According to Eversole, “what the dog doing?” means, “somebody that’s looking over their life, and thinking about what is the meaning of life?”
| Word/Phrase | Definition |
| Real | Dependent on tone. Could mean: true, cool, relatable, surprising. |
| Unreal | Dependent on tone. Could mean: surprising, disappointment, bizarre |
| Rizz | When an individual has a “game” of sorts. I.e. short for charisma |
| Cooking | When someone is doing something well, or achieving a goal |
| Ohio | A place where bizarre scenarios occur |
| Word | Dependent on tone. Could mean: or undermine one’s statement |
| Boy | Used to add emphasis onto someone’s statement or action. |
| Grimace shake | When something is unordinary and rare. This term derives from the McDonalds item that was only available for about one month. |
| What the dog doing? | Used when an individual is pondering one’s life. |
| That’s daps | What one says when another person does/says something amusing. |
Despite the fact that these words have caught popularity between students relatively fast, teachers may not be fond of the new lingo.
English Teacher Ms. Stephanie Brooks was asked about the new lingo, and if she noticed a shift from student diction this year from years’ past.
Brooks said, “there is always a shift [in the student lingo] based on social media trends, so yes [a shift is noticeable this year].”
Taking account of all the opinions on this subject, the question stands; is the constant change in new lingo a good thing? Both Brooks and Eversole had thoughts on this subject as well.
“I think [the change in lingo] is fine, it’s part of the language”, said Brooks. “But I do think there’s a separation between colloquial sayings and formal speech.”
“I think ‘what the dog doing’ is outdated and honestly offensive [due to its outdatedness: no longer in style according to Eversole],” said Eversole. “I think we should maybe rethink that one.”
In conclusion, the new lingo at RCHS is very fascinating. Adults may be confused or annoyed by Gen-Z’s lingo, but that’s normal; social media trends shape the diction and humor of RCHS students and students nationwide.
