New York

JIM ZHANG

New York

New York is one of the largest cities in the world and what’s really amazing about it is the diversity in New York. New York is filled with many cultures, languages and even some “secret” terms only the “ New Yorkers” understand. Language is a very special skill and powerful tool for humans. Languages are all on the same line when it comes to speaking but is there a “ right “ way? 

Of course not languages have evolved so much throughout time, as humans we even created a word for languages that isn’t a language but is a part of a language and we call it “SLANG”.

What really is surprising is that New York is filled with slang like “ Yurrrrrr, lit , bussin, brick, tight etc.

The funny part is that if you are not a New Yorker you would not understand because when I first moved to New York I could not understand “ It’s mad brick outside” afterwards I found out that “ Brick” means very cold.

Many people that are not from New York might say this is not proper English but that’s what truly makes us a New Yorker, it’s who we really are as a human living in New York.

There is a slang “ OcK or OcKy ” which is a super famous slang in New York. This slang is known most for the corner store chef in the back that makes your sandwiches. High Schoolers would go into corner store in the morning before class “ Ayooo OcK let me get a bacon, egg and cheese ona roll”

I grew up in North Carolina, they did not have corner stores like New York where there was one every 2 streets but there were stores that were similar to it but they never used the slang “ OcKy”.  When covid wasn’t around yet every two days out of the week before my first period class i would go to my corner store , “ Ayoo ock let me get and bacon egg and cheese ona roll”

I feel like that’s what really represents us New Yorkers, it’s more than a slang, it ‘s more like a culture to us. It shows who we are and it shows others that we represent New York. New Yorkers culture is massive to the point where I am learning new terms everyday myself. When some of my North Carolin friends come and visit I take them to a corner store and show them this is me, this is my home. When I first moved from North Carolina to New York I did not know anything about the culture and the language. It is shocking to me how far I’ve become just by living here.

Now I’m still in the learning process of becoming a full New Yorker.

Gloria Anzaldúa explored her situation with being condemned for the way she spoke in her essay How to Tame A Wild Tongue. On page 34 Anzaldúa was told “I want you to speak English” by her mother even though she was speaking it. Anzaldúa was speaking the language finally but what threw her mother off was the accent behind Anzaldúa speaking. She could not really help that she had an accent, when I first started speaking English I was very scared I had an accent with my speaking so I would always try not to talk to people because I was scared to talk but Anzaldúa was truly being herself and showing who she really is. 

Nowadays in school , I know from experience people like Anzaldúa would get bullied for her accent for being herself, her accent is who Anzaldúa is.

Language is more than a communication skill it more shows who we are as humans. It’s used to represent where we are from. Some  people don’t understand the language you are using and then they correct you in their way, they speak it then that will just make you upset in a way that they are not respecting you and your language.

:Works Cited: 

Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” 

                     The New York Times. 29 July 1979, 

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html?,%2522%2520&st=cse

3 Replies to “New York”

  1. I do have to agree with when you say the NY slang is very true to pretty much only New York. Coming from LA which is another forward big city, these words and phrases aren’t used by pretty much anyone out there. I actually never heard the word “OcK’ until probably my first two months here in the city and had no idea what it meant. But I love the fact that The NY slang is pretty true to only here in NYC

  2. This was a fun read! I’m from New York, but I have lots of family in North Carolina, and it’s always amusing to me when they visit and I see them get a sense of the city and its energy. I’ve always thought NY slang was kinda silly, like where did “brick” come from? And I remember explaining this term to friends and family from outside of the city, and they were equally bemused. I also really dislike when people correct others for the way they speak. I’ve always thought these kinds of corrections shut down the conversation entirely, and people who use their advanced knowledge to belittle, embarrass or humiliate others are the worst.

  3. New York is a very slang heavy place, some of the slang that you even mentioned I hadn’t heard of and I grew up in Brooklyn. Slang here is very much a reflection of the type of environment a group of people are in and if you are new to a environment then it might take a while for you to adapt and understand. But you are right that people can’t decide what languages is incorrect and what is correct because each language or slang has its own special meaning behind it.

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