I have a lot of experience with slang. My advisor yelles at me for using it too much.
Re "Dude" -- I say it *all the time* and never in the way you said, Lynn. I think it's because my vocabulary is so small, but I say "dude" all the time as an exclamation. I also use it when I am just talking to people -- "Rachel, dude, look at that!" Oh I also use it if I can't think of a person I'm talking about's name -- "That dude is so stupid." I also use "oh my god" all the time -- in everyday speech ALL THE TIME. Same with "Jesus Christ!"
Re. "I guess". Hmm, I would *never* say "I suppose". It sounds poumpus to me
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It always annoys me that my parents use a lot of lower class slang. I had neighbors that said "You's guys" talking about a group of people or "you's" just to describe one or two people. I tend to say "you guys" to describe anyone more than one person.
My parents also say "and then I says" instead of "and then I said". It drives me insane
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Also I guess I am totally out of the '80's becuase I use the word "awesome" and "duh" way too often
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I also find that I use the word "yeah" way more than I use the word "yes" (and I get yelled at about that by my advisor all the time -- even though I listened at my committee meeting and everyone on my examination committee says "yeah" instead of "yes" except my advisor
)
- Laura
