What’s Up? What it is all about?

[Craig Dsilva]

The use of What’s app messenger has not only changed the way we communicate online but also how we communicate in person. Slang language or Internet slang as it commonly known as, is mostly used in communication. It’s difficult to tell where they come from, but most of them have originated from online chat rooms, games and later get popular on Social media like Facebook and twitter.

   “What’s up” is an extremely annoying question that has (unfortunately) replaced "Hello" or "Hi" as the most popular form of casual greeting. As per some Dictionaries it is an informal way of saying what's happening. But reality is much different from the dictionary meaning. When a person is faced with this question there is no defined answer for the same.

   Prior to the use of this slang the conversation starter was “Hi, How are you?” The general response was “Fine. Thank you”. Now when people are faced with this rhetorical question “What’s up”, they do not know how to respond to the same. Some just smile back, others say the sky or ceiling or whatever is above them. If you ask the question on Google the answer is “Nothing Much.”

   According to David Crystal there is an old little jingle: 'The chief use of slang is to show that you're one of the gang.' What that means is that every social group has its own linguistic bonding mechanism. If there's a group of professionals, they have their own slang, and so on. In future I wouldn’t be surprised if a bestseller turned out to be a slang dictionary!

   Some critics believe that when slang language becomes more commonplace it effectively eradicates the proper use of a certain language. However, other linguists believe that language is not static but ever-changing. Everything in this world has two sides, one positive and one negative. The use of What’s up is no different. It is not a black or white, but grey whose pros and cons are decided by the user himself. I would like to end with quote given by the American Artist Corita Kent “Words have life and must be cared for. If they are stolen for careless slang, they need to be brought back to their original meaning - back to their roots.”