DECODING THE LEXICON OF YOUTH; A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF YOUTH SLANG IN THE ALBANIAN CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC CONTEXT

Abstract

The proposed article sheds light on the lexical space of modern Albanian language,
describing the tendencies that mark the speech of modern youth and raising awareness of the
dimension and conceptualization of youth slang in the Albanian context. A qualitative and
quantitative methodology is applied to observe the relation between culture, language and
different social situations in which students use slang. The semantics and etymology of slang
vocabulary are analysed based on the results of a questionnaire given out to first-year
students. The questionnaire results revealed that youth slang significantly influences the
students’ social interactions and plays a key role in shaping and expressing their social
identity. Additionally, the impact of youth slang on the students’ use of standard language
suggests that this may be a supporting factor for their pragmatic development. Youth slang
provides opportunities for students to learn interactive linguistic skills and engage in peer
conversations, which contribute to the co-construction of their social and cultural worlds and
language socialization.