Why Use Slang?

There are many reasons people use slang words and expressions. It can be used just for fun or as a way to be witty or clever. You can use it to be different or startling. 

Even if you don’t know it, slang enriches the language. Many use it as a way to be friendly, or to show that they belong to a certain group or profession. Some engage in slang usage to be secretive, like those in secret societies, children, students, or prisoners.

Slang is a way of using descriptive or figurative language. It sometimes is irreverent and humorous. Slang expressions describe activities or objects. There is a high number of slang terms associated with the activity or object if it is prevalent. In 1901, G. K. Chesterton wrote “All slang is metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry,” in Defence of Slang.