In-class presentation.

1. By Laura Dilz, Yen Nhi Nguyen & Julia Kruzel
GEN Z LANGUAGE & HARRY POTTER

2. Outline
01
RQ & Method
Examples
02
Comparison & Analysis
Conclusion
03
Future Outlook
04
TABLE OF CONTENT
Sources
05

3. 01
Project Outline

4. OED: ‘Generation Z’
Generation Y/Millennials: early 1980s and mid 1990s
Generation Z:
“The generation of people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s
and following Generation Y, noted in particular as the first generation
to grow up in the era of widespread use of digital technology (esp. the
internet and social media)”
Generation Alpha: from 2010 (McCrindle, 2009)

5. Project Goal
➔ What kind of linguistic changes is YL going through today?
Use of abbreviations
New vocabulary
Changes in grammar
Spelling distortion
➔ Where did those changes originate from?

6. Research Question
How does ‘literary standard language’ and its linguistic features in Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone change under the influence of
Generation Z’s internet culture?

7. Method
Harry Potter
and the
Philosopher’s
Stone
Gen Z
Adaptation

8. Harry Potter
and the
Philosopher’s
Stone
Gen Z
Adaptation
close reading
side-by-side comparison
Method

9. TEXT EXAMPLES
02
Comparison & Analysis

10. Text Examples
‘At half past eight, Mr Dursley picked up
his briefcase , pecked Mrs Dursley on the
cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye
but missed, because Dudley was now
having a tantrum and throwing his cereal
at the walls. “Little tyke,” chortled Mr
Dursley as he left the house. He got into
his car and backed out of number four’s
drive.
At half past eight, Mr. Dursley snatched
his briefcase, pecked miss girl on the
cheek and took a fat L tryna kiss Dudley
goodbye cause he was too busy bitching
and yeeting his cereal at the walls. "Little
tyke," loled Mr. Dursley as he got tf outta
there. He got in his car and skirrted out
the driveway.

11. Abbreviations
Reasons why Abbreviations are so common in Gen Z language: (Squires, 2010)
1. Efficiency
2. Imitating face-to-face interactions
3. Group identity
4. Challenge traditional norms
Tf → the fuck LOL
→ laughing out loud
Abbreviation: Initialism Abbreviation:
Acronym/Initialism
"Little tyke," loled Mr. Dursley as he got tf outta there.”

12. Use of New Vocabulary
Bitching
Urban dictionary:
Excessive complaining without a specific
reason and without the will to change
something.
Word Formation:
Noun "bitch" → Derogatory term for a woman
Suffix "-ing" → Verbing = Creation of a verb from a
noun
Swear Words:
a) Offend and abuse,
b) entertain and create humour,
c) can function as intensifiers.
Trends:
→ Gendered language gets replaced with gender-
neutral language (WP Company, 2019)
→ Swearing is becoming more common in English
literary language because of the influence of youth
language (Love, 2021)
"(...) he was too busy bitching and yeeting
his cereal at the walls.”

13. Use of New Vocabulary: Swear Words

14. Use of New Vocabulary: Yeet

15. Use of New Vocabulary
Yeeting
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
1) Interjection: used to express surprise,
approval, or excited enthusiasm
1) Verb: to throw especially with force
and without regard for the thing being
thrown
Popularized through social media:
→ interconnectedness of youths allows for
faster creation and spreading of new
vocabulary
Conversion / Zero-Derivation
- common process in youth language
(Valera, 2023)
- word changes its grammatical category
without any changes to its form
Noun “yeet” → Verb “to yeet

16. TEXT EXAMPLES
‘Mr. Dursley was adulting at a firm
called Grunnings that made drills. He
was a dummy thiccc (w/ three Cs) man
with basically no neck, tho he had an
absolute unit of a mustache. Mrs.
Dursley was a Karen with zero chill and
had hella neck, which was real useful for
highkey stalking her neighbors and not
minding her own.The Dursleys had a lil
son called Dudley who they really
thought was the main character.’
‘Mr Dursley was the director of a firm
called Grunnings, which made drills. He
was a big, beefy man with hardly any
neck, although he did have a very large
moustache. Mrs Dursley was thin and
blonde and had nearly twice the usual
amount of neck, which came in very
useful as she spent so much of her time
craning over garden fences, spying on the
neighbours. The Dursleys had a small son
called Dudley and in their opinion there
was no finer boy anywhere.’

17. TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘DUMMY THICC’
‘He was a dummy thiccc (w/ three Cs) man (...)’
Urban Dictionary:
‘when your thick with three c's, you know you
really got them curves, referring to a usually
black female with curves’
‘Dummy thicc’ →
‘When it’s thicc but, like more than just regular
thicc, like really really thicc’
Slang Dictionary:
‘Thicc is a slang term for a full-figured body,
specifically a big butt and curvy waist. It is
both used sexually and humorously.’
➔ derived from the English noun
‘thickness’
➔ Originated from the 1990’s black
culture
➔ black slang for describing a sexually
attractive, curvaceous woman
➔ since early 2000s: deliberately
misspelled online as thicc
➔ Clipping to simplify expressions
(Hoffman, 2021)
Type of slang Occurrences Percentage
Acronym 14 28%
Imitative 12 24%
Flippant 9 18%
Clipping 8 16%
Fresh &
Creative
7 14%
Total 50 100%

18. TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘ADULTING’ ’
‘Mr. Dursley was adulting at a firm called Grunnings that made drills.’
Cambridge Dictionary:
noun [ U ], informal
actions and behaviour that are considered
typical of adults, not children young
people:
‘Why is adulting so hard?’
‘Adulting includes things like keeping
your home clean and paying bills.’
➔ Here: Substitute for working
➔ not particularly a youth language
but usage has increased

19. TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘ADULTING’ ’
‘Mr. Dursley was adulting at a firm called Grunnings that made drills.’

20. TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘KAREN’ & ‘ZERO CHILL’
‘Mrs. Dursley was a Karen with zero chill (...).’
Urban Dictionary:
Karen
Middle aged woman, typically blonde, makes
solutions to others' problems an inconvenience
to her although she isn't even remotely
affected.
‘Karen refuses to wear a face mask for her 5
minute trip to the supermarket during a
pandemic. She harasses the workers, asks to
see the manager and threatens to sue.’
Urban dictionary:
Zero chill
1. When one looses the ability to look calm.
2. When one doesn't care about anything.
Go talk to him, Jo.
I can't Naomi, I have zero chill
‘Did you just punch that old man? I swear, you
have zero chill, bro’

21. TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘KAREN’ & ‘ZERO CHILL’

22. TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘LIL’ & ‘MAIN CHARACTER’
‘The Dursleys had a lil son called Dudley who they really thought was the main character.’
Slang Dictionary:
li’l (or lil or lil’)
‘Li’l is an abbreviation of the word little. It’s often
used in names or titles to emphasize youth or
physical size.’
Main character (syndrom)
Urban Dictionary:
‘When someone thinks they are the main
character of their life. Usually comes with a side
of individuality complex, quirky style and a self
centered point of view.’
Psychology today:
‘Main character syndrome is when somebody
presents, or imagines, themself as the lead in a
sort of fictional version of their life.’

23. Urban Dictionary:
‘Hard to define, it's a complimentary or derogatory term
depending on usage. It can refer to a person as someone that
is cool, tall, muscular, strong, or a friend (synonym: dude). It
can also refer to a penis or someone that is negatively
referred to as a penis’
TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘UNIT’
‘(...) tho he had an absolute unit of a mustache.’
Cambridge Dictionary:
‘a single thing or a separate part of something larger:
“Each unit of the text book focuses on a different
grammar point.”’
informal: a person or thing that is very large and
impressive:
‘I'm delighted he's playing. He's definitely a unit.’

24. TEXT EXAMPLE
‘And some lowkey tea, tea abt the
Potters. Mrs. Dursley came into the
living room carrying two cups of actual
tea. This ain't it. He'd have to spill the
tea. He cleared his throat, all nervous.
"Er - Petunia, dear - ur still ghosting
your sister, right?”’
‘And a whisper, a whisper about the
Potters. Mrs Dursley came into the
living-room carrying two cups of tea. It
was no good. He’d have to say
something to her. He cleared his throat
nervously. “Er – Petunia, dear – you
haven’t heard from your sister lately,
have you?”’

25. TEXT EXAMPLE - ‘LOWKEY’/’’HIGHKEY’ & ‘ABT’
‘highkey stalking her neighbors’ ; ‘And some lowkey tea, tea abt the Potters.’
ABT
‘ABT is an abbreviation of the word about.’
Urban dictionary:
‘abt’
● Abbreviation of the word about
● Acronym
● Used in online chatting context
Cambridge dictionary:
‘Low-key’ (Adjectiv)
A low-key event is quiet and without a great show
of excitement:
The wedding was a low-key affair, with fewer
than 30 people attending.
Urban dictionary:
‘Lowkey/Highkey’
Lowkey: to express a feeling or desire without
coming on too strong
He’s low-key cute, but I’m keeping my options open
Highkey: opposite of lowkey
I high-key want to buy these shoes
Type of slang Occurrences Percentage
Acronym 14 28%
Imitative 12 24%
Flippant 9 18%
Clipping 8 16%
Fresh &
Creative
7 14%
Total 50 100%

26. Text Example - ‘Tea’
Urban Dictionary:
when one tells an especially juicy bit of
gossip
"Girl, did you know Renee is having
ANOTHER baby? And the baby daddy is
the same guy who she found out has been
cheating on her!"
"OMG, spill the tea on that drama!"
● originates from Black
American drag culture
● popularized by the TV show
● contains a double meaning
(Yusuf, 2023)
‘And some lowkey tea, tea abt the Potters. (...) He'd have to spill the tea.’

28. Type Freq
bitches 13
tea 13
tf 12
sus 10
skirrted 8
yeeted 8
bitch 7
tbh 7
highkey 4
Type Freq
bitching 3
ghosting 3
girlboss 3
spill 3
L 2
loled 2
ppl 2
skirrting 2
unit 2
Type Freq
adulting 1
bitchy 1
dummy 1
girlbossed 1
girlbossing 1
girlbosss 1
karen 1
thiccc 1
yeeting 1
Statistics - AntConc

29. CONCLUSION
03
Pro and Contra

30. CONCLUSION
➔ Language is always changing, evolving, and adapting to the need of its users
◆ Technological aspect of Gen Z’s upbringing accelerates this process
➔ People are especially creative when it comes to language
➔ Addition of many foreign words
➔ Potential language barrier between generations

31. FUTURE OUTLOOK
04

32. FUTURE OUTLOOK
➔ Prejudices against new varieties have always been around
➔ Code switching
➔ People grow more linguistically conservative as they age
Examples:
1. Pronouncing gerunds
- Jumping → Jumpin
1. Use of the quotative like declines

33. ““Standard” language and “correct” spelling are collective agreements,
not eternal truths, and collective agreements can change.”
- McCulloch, 2020
FUTURE OUTLOOK

34. THANKS!

35. sources
Abt. (n.d.-a). In Urban Dictionary. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=abt
Black, A. (2022, May 17). ’Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (explicit Gen Z edit)’—Hogwarts Library | Hogwarts is Here. Hogwarts
Is Here. https://www.hogwartsishere.com/library/book/26702/
BuzzFeedVideo (Director). (2020, September 23). The Origin Of The Karen Meme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSXoBtmtypg
Generation Z, n. (n.d.). In OED Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/86200773?
Highkey. (n.d.-b). In Urban Dictionary. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=highkey
Hoffman, I. (2021, January 19). THICC meaning & origin. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/thicc/#
SQUIRES, L. (2010). Enregistering internet language. Language in Society, 39(4), 457–492. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40925792
Love, R. (2021). Swearing in informal spoken English: 1990s–2010s. Text & Talk, 41(5-6), 739-762. https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2020-
0051
Lowkey. (n.d.-c). In Urban Dictionary. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lowkey

36. sources
Mansor, N. S. (2021). How Advertising Speaks to Consumers: A Case of Youth Language in Local Commercial Discourse.
Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics, 6(2), 353. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i2.202
McCrindle, M., & Wolfinger, E. (2009). The ABC of XYZ: Understanding the global generations. UNSW Press.
Poláková & Klímová. (2019). Mobile Technology and Generation Z in the English Language Classroom – A Preliminary
Study. Education Sciences, 9(3), 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030203
Rowling, J. K. (2009). Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone. Bloomsbury.
Unit. (2023). In Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/unit
Valera, S. (2023). The semantics of noun-to-verb zero-derivation in English and Spanish. Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft, 42(1), 153-
180. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2022-2016
WP Company. (2019, December 15). A guide to how gender-neutral language is developing around the world. The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/12/15/guide-how-gender-neutral-language-is-developing-around-world/
Yoon, J., Gomez, L., Gonzales, J., Martinez, R., Torres, K., Williams, V., Davis, M., & Cammarota, J. (2021). Spill the Tea. In J.
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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56685-2_3
Yusuf, Y. Q., Fata, I. A., & Aini, R. (2023). “GOTCHUU!”: THE USE OF SLANG IN SOCIAL MEDIA BY GENERATION Z. LiNGUA: Jurnal
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