What Really Slays: Exploring How the Meaning and Usage of “Slay” Has Evolved From 1850 Through 2023
by Jupiter Berrysmith
From the author:
This paper was originally written for WRT 285: Analyzing Linguistic Data. When thinking of a word I wanted to research the usage of, my mind quickly went to “slay,” as it is a word whose meaning has changed during my lifetime. Through prior knowledge, I knew that it was originally coined in the ballroom drag community, and has eventually been co-opted by mainstream media and the general population, primarily young femme people. I remember hearing the word used by people a few years younger than me, and then witnessed it becoming a common phrase among my peers as well, until all of a sudden it became a staple of my vocabulary. So I thought it would be interesting to try to determine when the meaning of slay developed into its modern usage, and when it started catching on in the mainstream. I ended up coding and analyzing 360 usages of “slay.” While it was a time-consuming commitment, I had so much fun exploring the different meanings and coming up with a coding system. I really enjoyed the moment of discovery, when the goal of my research came to fruition, and eventually putting all of my thoughts together in this paper.
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