Belay My Last - use of slang words by young Navy personnel - Brief Article

All Hands, June, 2001 by Dave Desilets

How do we communicate with today's most junior Sailors? I suppose I should know. I mean, our target audience here at All Hands magazine is the 18-to-24 year-old first-term enlisted Sailor. And we make every effort to appeal to our newest shipmates.

But what is their real language? I raise this, as a senior chief and department LCPO, because I often talk to my junior people, and I recently told one of them that the generation gap seems more and more apparent as the days and years go by. Granted, the salt in my veins is growing older and harder by the minute.

So what is the lingo of this new generation, Generation Y -- those folks born between 1978 and 1995, according to American Demographics (Oct. 2000)? I was listening to a local morning radio show, which addressed this same subject, and they actually said, "cool" is making a comeback; one word down, cool. What are some others?

According to the same radio show and confirmed on the web at www.slangsite.com, right up there in describing something really cool is "rushmore," the one perfect thing. Junior Sailors should be raving about their Navy experience in terms of it being a total rushmore.

Even before Generation Y Sailors enter the Navy, they hear about our great sea service from a recruiter. So, I thought whom better to tell me how to connect with today's youth than a Navy recruiter. In talking to BM1(SW) Brian Cissell, of Navy Recruiting Station Tacoma Mall in Washington State, he said it's all about listening and respect.

"You have to listen to them and show them respect first," said Cissell, recognized as the nation's most improved Navy recruiter and a three-year veteran at the difficult job. Known in the Tacoma-area high schools as "Boats," he added, "They just want to talk and be heard."

But according to Boats, Gen Yers don't necessarily want to be talked to at length, nor do they want you to know their lingo. He said if you start lecturing or preaching you get the hand sign -- mimicking a talking mouth as to say, "yak, yak, yak."

Cissell stated that today's youth are very guarded about their subculture. While he says some of the slang he hears is reminiscent of the 70s, hence cool, they keep much of their language to themselves. "When I approach a group, they'll say, 'keep it on the down low,' to protect their slang from outsiders." He said it's much easier to know what isn't in, noting that "dis" and "phat" are definitely out and that the "L" on the forehead is yesterday's gesture. "If you do that, you are a loser."

Cissell asked some of his DEPers, who are scheduled to enter boot camp under the buddy system on the 29th of this month, to share a sample of their somewhat esoteric language. Prospective Airmen Damita Moorehead and Danielle Davis and prospective Seaman Charlene Slaton offered the above tidbits of valuable Y communique.

Of course, non-Gen Yers can't really use this with any kind of authority. "You can't fake it. You have to be genuine," remarked Cissell, who said you have to earn their acceptance the hard way -- over time.

I guess that brings us back to the beginning -- that there is no easy route or short answer to bridge the generation gap between our sharp young Sailors and old salts like me. At least, in the Navy, we have a common bond of communication through the use of sea jargon that originates from the days of John Paul Jones ... "Ahoy," "avast matey" and "heave out and lash up."

But then again, how often do you hear that any more?

Y Speak                              Translation
My bad                                      Oops
Wussup                                        Hi
Illin'                                Feeling OK
Hanging                  Being with your friends
Disrespecting                         Being rude
Foo            Fool (replaces L on the forehead)
Huh?                                       What?
"G"                                  Cool friend
Fo scheezee          For sure (replacing the old
                  Valley Girl expression -- "Fer
                                          sure")