IS GEN Z SLANG GIVING YOU BRAIN ROT?

"Alore' and 'extravaganza' are words that date you," said my friend Jem, a marketing communications executive.

- MONIQUE TODA

The topic of conversation was the evolution of words and new gen slang. I continually have this talk with former marketing colleagues and friends. Gabbie, who is younger, shares that we must live life to the fullest and be "sliving" (slay plus living, invented by Paris Hilton), and that it is good for us to "trauma share" from time to time. Our chat group is vaingloriously called Marvelous Marcom Mavens, which makes me wonder if "mavens" is an outdated word.

I have a mental time machine (combined with GPS) when people speak to me. If someone says coffee shop, parlor, outing, necking, groovy, hip, or dude, I already know what era you were in at the peak of your youth. In terms of love relationships, a certain generation says "May-December love affair," referring to an older woman and younger man. Among my friends, we just call the women "cougars." As to the GPS part of my brain, if you say "syota" (partner) and "siopao" (embarrassed), you are definitely from the Seventies and the Philippines.

As I am always fascinated by the youth's language or slang, and desire to understand what the hell they are saying, I try to keep up. Slang is the prevailing indication of the times. Now, with social media, there is more and more to keep up with. Like, what is this POV thing? This means point of view, right? But everything you post is your POV already.

I once wrote about Gen Z terminology, and even presented a short dictionary. So here I go again with part two, an updated list. This time I decode Gen Z or Teen Slang, helped by younger folk (note: dated term). Forgive me if I include some millennial words and phrases. Sometimes they overlap and are still used by zoomers.

Bussin' - amazing, really good This place is really bussin', and I am definitely coming back.