You don’t walk into a funeral and say: slay bestie, this is so Sigma!: Incorporating Gen Z slang in English lessons at a lower-secondary school

Abstract

Norwegian teenagers scores very high on English language proficiency, largely due to the extensive exposure they have to English though digital media and social interaction. This integration of language has led to use of informal linguistic forms, such as Generation Z (Gen Z) slang, in teens everyday communication. While the Norwegian English curriculum emphasizes language awareness and reflection, instructional practices have neglected the linguistic resources pupils can contribute with into the classroom.

There is lack of research on how Gen Z slang can be used in a second language (L2) English classroom as a resource for language learning. This thesis addresses that gap by exploring the pedagogical potential of integrating Gen Z slang to facilitate language awareness among teenagers.

This study has been conducted qualitatively in a 10th grade, over three lessons with the focus on exploring Gen Z slang. The data were collected through classroom observation, pupil products, reflection questions and a questionnaire. The collected data were thematically analyzed and three key themes were identified, perception of Gen Z slang usage, experiences with lessons on Gen Z slang and whether the lessons fostered language awareness.

The findings indicate that pupils were engaged in meaningful learning activities and working with a relevant topic, such as slang, prompted reflections around language use and appropriateness. Not all pupils felt the same connection to the topic and the reflections varied in depth, the lessons provided a great example for a method to start working with language awareness.

This study`s aim is to explore how Gen Z slang can be used in English lessons to increase pupils’ language awareness, by making learning more relevant, engaging, and reflective of their real-life communication.

Keywords: Gen Z slang, slang, Generation Z, language awareness, critical language awareness, sociolinguistic competence, pragmatic competence