YOLO: Slang as Human Migration
I wonder if you've ever heard the term
Uni
Definition:
(adj.) an abbreviation of the word "university"
Has the definition changed over time?
The definition has not changed, but there are other ways to abbreviate university, such as Univ. and U.
History of the Word
The word came about in the 1850’s in Australia (when the University of Sydney was founded), but there is not a recorded first instance. Australians created the word because they wanted to shorten the word university and make it easier to say (and eventually write). The abbreviation “uni” is used by various types of people from students and young people to graduates. Many people use the term “uni” throughout the world. It is most commonly heard in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland, as well as parts of Canada.
Maps
Migration of the Term
It is very obvious that the term “uni” has traveled over time because it is used in many different countries and regions, some of which are quite far away from the others.
The map shows the 5 main places where the term "uni" is used (from left to right: Canada, Ireland, the UK, Australia, New Zealand). The word originated in Australia, then moved to New Zealand. As people conducted transcontinental trade, "uni" moved to the UK and Ireland. More people moved to America and Canada, and when that happened, America didn't receive the term well, but certain parts of Canada (specifically British Columbia) made it part of their own language.
Uni’s Popularity Today
The word “uni” is very popular, but not in America. As we said before, it is used in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and parts of Canada. People of many ages use the word, so it’s definitely not new, but it is not outdated either. Any show in the countries we listed has used the term. Also, many icons in the music world and YouTubers from the countries we listed have used the word (i.e. the members of 5 Seconds Of Summer, Ed Sheeran, and the Janoskians).
An example of the word uni being used in music is in Ed Sheeran's song "U.N.I.", which is all about a relationship failing because of university.
AUSTRALIA'S Significance Today
Because Australia comes up with and uses much of the slang we see in the world and more, it can be perceived as a lazy country, which is a point even some Aussies agree to. They just love to shorten words for their own convenience, and the words spread around the world.
They have come up with a lot of slang words, such as “dinky-di”, “awks”, “arvo”, “probs”, and “sanger”, as well as phrases like “too right” and “you beauty”. They also shorten restaurant names; a good example is that, instead of calling McDonald’s by its full name, they call it Maccas.
There are 43 universities in Australia and, unless they are referring to the name of the university, they call it uni. The first university in Australia was the University of Sydney, founded in 1850. Shortly after it was founded, people began calling it uni because they were too lazy to say university.
They have come up with a lot of slang words, such as “dinky-di”, “awks”, “arvo”, “probs”, and “sanger”, as well as phrases like “too right” and “you beauty”. They also shorten restaurant names; a good example is that, instead of calling McDonald’s by its full name, they call it Maccas.
There are 43 universities in Australia and, unless they are referring to the name of the university, they call it uni. The first university in Australia was the University of Sydney, founded in 1850. Shortly after it was founded, people began calling it uni because they were too lazy to say university.
Examples of "Uni" being used
- "I'll do my uni work later."
- "Do you know what the assignment in uni was?"
- "What's your uni schedule?"
- "If you go off to uni, we're breaking up."
So what?
The term "uni" originated in Australia in the late 1850's to the early 1860's; it traveled to New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and Canada in many ways, some being migration of people and transcontinental trade. This word shows us how far people have moved and how, as people move, their language moves with them. It's crazy how this one small word could move from down under all the way across the globe in a few hundred years.
When you think about it, most Americans have a mindset that, once you get that high school diploma, you go to university. With that in mind, it seems that college is a necessary thing in the United States. For some people, there is nothing more important than completing your courses at university and getting a good degree. Clearly university is important to America; perhaps the term uni will be used in the future.
Its definition hasn't changed, though there are other abbreviations for the word university now. The word "uni" is important because a significant amount of people use it world-wide. The product of Australians being a bit lazy a little more than 150 years ago has gotten us to a point where the term "uni" is used constantly, and it's really incredible how much it has spread. If humans hadn't migrated at all, the word wouldn't have spread so far.
When you think about it, most Americans have a mindset that, once you get that high school diploma, you go to university. With that in mind, it seems that college is a necessary thing in the United States. For some people, there is nothing more important than completing your courses at university and getting a good degree. Clearly university is important to America; perhaps the term uni will be used in the future.
Its definition hasn't changed, though there are other abbreviations for the word university now. The word "uni" is important because a significant amount of people use it world-wide. The product of Australians being a bit lazy a little more than 150 years ago has gotten us to a point where the term "uni" is used constantly, and it's really incredible how much it has spread. If humans hadn't migrated at all, the word wouldn't have spread so far.
Sources
http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Sydney
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_abbreviation_of_University
http://wikitravel.org/en/Australian_slang
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#q=origin%20of%20the%20word%20university&safe=active&ssui=on (definition at the top of the Google page)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Sydney
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_abbreviation_of_University
http://wikitravel.org/en/Australian_slang
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#q=origin%20of%20the%20word%20university&safe=active&ssui=on (definition at the top of the Google page)