Did you know that, like fashion and products, languages are trending languages that are trending at specific times or regions?
For example, “Jamanchu (seeking natural encounters. This includes neologisms and abbreviations such as “)” and “quan-ku (as if decorated or not decorated).” However, these expressions are actually almost impossible to understand if you don't live in Korea, and in particular, the words commonly used by the MZ (Millennials & Generation Z) generation are often difficult for local Koreans and the older generation to understand.
And just like us, there are such trending languages overseas. This includes expressions such as “YOLO (You Only Live Once),” which caused a particularly explosive reaction in Korea a few years ago. Especially nowadays, I've been watching a lot of overseas YouTube content and meads, and sometimes there are expressions I don't know, so I don't get bored no matter how many dictionaries they search. This is because, like us, there are many expressions and languages of their own that are mainly used by specific classes, regions, and generations overseas.
Urban Dictionary (Urban Dictionary)
However, there is a dictionary that is very useful in such cases. “Urban Dictionary (Urban Dictionary)” is one of the online dictionary sites that many people already know. Unlike common dictionaries we know, Urban Dictionary has a high weight of neologisms, so you can easily check the meanings of various slang (Slang), profanity, slang words, and abbreviations. Therefore, these may be expressions that never appear in official documents or tests, but they can be very useful when reading foreign currency, chatting with foreigners, or having everyday conversations.
Urban Dictionary, a unique online dictionary with such characteristics, was created in 1999 by Aaron Peckham (Aaron Peckham), a new computer science student at California Polytechnic State University. If you look at what the founder talked about in an interview with the New York Times, you can see what led to the creation of such a special dictionary. “The true authority and meaning of a language comes from people who actually use it. The core of Urban Dictionary is that we ourselves define the language we speak.” Aaron's idea is also reflected in the slogan “URBAN DICTIONARY IS WRITTEN BY YOU,” which you can see as soon as you enter the Urban Dictionary website.
In other words, Urban Dictionary can be said to be a social networking dictionary where users directly register vocabulary and share definitions. Therefore, although the meaning and example sentences appear like normal dictionaries, it can be said that it is a kind of collective intelligence site where the meaning and example sentences of words and expressions are defined by users, just like Wikipedia (Wikipedia). Also, since posts can be freely posted and edited, the interpretations of words are often varied and interesting, but instead, there are many interpretations where the meaning is inaccurate or sometimes playful or distressing.
However, there are also many negative opinions and criticisms that are concerned about the side effects of this unique dictionary. This is because there are many expressions that can cause discomfort or misunderstanding to viewers, such as hateful expressions related to race, class, politics, and religion, due to a laid-back approach that is open to everyone. For this reason, urban dictionaries can be adversely affected by people who are not proficient in English, so it is suitable for people who are actually good at English to use as a reference.
This post is next week “Urban Dictionary, a hip dictionary that reads trends (2)”It leads to
In the next post, I'll talk about how to use urban dictionaries in translation.
*This content has been transferred from Gicon Studio to Letterworks.
