“What’s shakin’?”
“Hello! Are you here to buy movie tickets?” I greeted a frequent visitor into the student life office.
“I don’t got no chicken,” said Bob.
“What? I didn’t ask for chickens.”
“Nah, you see, chicken is slang for” – and he rubs his fingers together to represent money –
“Sorry Bob,” I said sarcastically, “we don’t accept chickens here in the office. We accept cash and exact change only.”
“Haha. Even my grandma is catching up on slang.” He turns to my co-worker, who was just as confused as me, “you know what ‘what’s shakin’ ‘ mean?”
“No.” She said.
“What’s up?” I suggested.
“Yeah yeah she’s got it.” Bob said. “See Jenn, you gotta be like Nancy. Me and my bros be talking English but if you listened to us talk, you wouldn’t understand a single thing.” He says jokingly.
“I only know old school slang, slang changes too much I can’t keep up with the jargon,” Jenn rebutted.
I considered this an encounter of cultural clash, because the difference in lingo is one important aspect of different cultures. It shows how diverse even the same language can be. Bob could have spoken to us in that foreign language of English slang, but to us he spoke normal English.
http://mychickencoopplans.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/happy-chicken.jpg
This post is great because it really helps you understand the effect slang has on our lives. It’s as if it’s a language of its own. I’ve had similar difficulties both here and in India. Great job of adding humor!