1. Background Information
The 1950s was a sign of replenishment for everyday lifestyle. Teenagers sought independence and
began to be known as a different social class – not just recognised as a child. In the concept of
language, slang had become high-frequency lexis for teenagers. They invented new words to hide
their secret new-found lives of jiving and love affairs. It was the era of Rock ‘n’ Roll and rockabilly
dresses. A cultural change for women, who dressed in shorter skirts and higher heels.
It was a time where patriarchy reigned and women were back into the role of mother and housewife
(post WW2 when men had returned from the war and reclaimed their jobs from women.)
Examples of ‘50s Slang
Badass – this concrete noun was used to refer to a tough guy and is still used in everyday language.
Ball – this is an example of an abstract noun lexis that is generally used in a noun phrase such as ‘I
had a ball’ meaning, to have a good time. The rockabilly era of 1950 meant that many people were
celebrating coming out of the great depression and drudgery of WW2 – therefore, there were many
celebrations and uses for this word.
Booty – this concrete noun originated in the 1950s meaning the same thing as it does to day – the
buttocks, used for comical effect.
Hipster – the proper noun Hipster was one of the lead slang terms in the 1950s. They were people, at
the time who loved jazz music and the jazz lifestyle. They had a particular dress-code, attitude and
were the first group of people to use marijuana systematically. This word is commonly used in
modern-day language. However, this word has undergone cultural change and meaning. This being
because ‘Hipster’ in modern semantics, means someone who has condescending attitudes/beliefs and
believes their dress-code and taste in music is superior to other around them (they believe themselves
to be an individual.)
Back seat bingo – this was a term used for kissing in the back of a car. If we break this down, it is
separated into the concrete noun ‘backseat’ (suggesting the back of a car) and ‘bingo’ would be the
dynamic verb instead of using the formal lexis ‘kissing’.
Cat – this noun meant ‘A hip person’. This has gone under a change in everyday life as the adjective
‘Cool’ is normally added in front of the noun creating ‘Cool cat’. Without the adjective, in modern
language, a cat would have the meaning of someone who is sly and cunning.