YOLO: Slang as Human Migration
Have you ever wondered where the term ¨shank¨ comes from?
SHANK
Definition:
1.Noun. A shank is a homemade knife made from a thin piece of metal, glass, plastic, or another material, sharpened to a point so that it can be used as a weapon; often used in prison or gang slang
2.Verb. the act of stabbing someone with a homemade knife; Forms: shank, shanked, shanking, will shank, has shanked, is shanking, will be shanked
Synonyms: dexter, shiv
1.Noun. A shank is a homemade knife made from a thin piece of metal, glass, plastic, or another material, sharpened to a point so that it can be used as a weapon; often used in prison or gang slang
2.Verb. the act of stabbing someone with a homemade knife; Forms: shank, shanked, shanking, will shank, has shanked, is shanking, will be shanked
Synonyms: dexter, shiv
This is a map of the migration of the Romani people (gypsies), from whom the words ¨shiv¨, and then ¨shank¨ came from.
The Gypsies originated in India, and traveled through Asia into Europe, mostly Germany. Over time they came to America, bringing the word ¨chivomengro¨, which means knife.
This is a Powerpoint going into more detail about the definition, origin, and depictions of shanks. Please feel free to look through it.
To represent how shank is tied into modern pop culture, this video is the theme song for a movie produced in 2009 titled ¨Shank¨. WARNING: Very catchy
All in all, slang teaches us that language changes over time as people travel and migrate. Language is always changing as cultures blend and evolve, and this is where slang comes from. Shank especially shows this because it can be traced back to different countries across the world, hundreds of years ago. The fact that it originated so long ago and that a form of it is still being used today shows the true power of slang.
Shank you for your time!
Sources
http://books.google.com/books?id=oxQ5AAAAMAAJ&q=shiv#search_anchor
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiv
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people