Published 2012-12-09T08:00:00Z”/>
Kevin Crittenden
Slang breathes a sense of identity into the fabric of conformity-prone culture. Once a particularly expressive word has taken root, it’s nearly impossible to disrupt its growth.
One particular slang term is the subject of much scorn. Hella may one day die out just like countless other verbal fads have.
In the meantime, haters of this distinct word can stuff their objections into the cookie cutter hand-me-downs their parents used for them.
It does not take a linguistics dissertation to comprehend how hella came into being.
The word sounds like “hell of,” and it finds its way into popular use because it fits almost anywhere. For example, “I ate hella tacos. The lady made them hella quickly. Now I am hella full.” But that is not the only reason to appreciate it.
Hella marks a specific time and place in the story of our lives as Northern Californians.
Even so, I have heard fellow Californians worriedly admit, “I almost said it the other day, but I caught myself.”
The stigma stems from cultural provincialism. The logic goes: Those people say things differently, therefore I must avoid their sayings or become like them.
Language carries identity. By repurposing language to fit new meanings, we shed some of the crusty layers of appropriate rulebook diction that reign over personal expression.
Saying, “Wow! That party was super duper fun,” somehow doesn’t have the same impact as, “Damn! That party was hella fun.” So then, what is so objectionable about this word haters tip-toe around? They condemn those who use it like language Gestapo.
Perhaps the reason is partly that the root word is hell. I visualize an Amish family in an urban setting. The mother says to her child, “Honey, get your earmuffs. It’s those h-word people.”
This gives the word some extra appeal by roughing the delicate sensibilities of the soft-spoken among us who are disturbed by hearing it.
In a recent episode of slang intolerance, an eavesdropper jumped into my conversation saying, “Did you just say hella?” It was hella rude.
Those who cry foul should consider the following: As I write hella in a Google Doc, the spellcheck only counts it as an error when it’s placed before an adverb.
See? Even the almighty Google is catching on. That has to count as a victory for hella users worldwide. That’s right, it’s hella international.
In 2009, hella was included in the BBC’s list of 20 words that sum up the decade from 2000-2009. The entry reads, “An intensive in Youthspeak, generally substituting for the word ‘very,’ as in ‘hella’ expensive.”
People almost inevitably adapt to the language of those with whom they spend most of their time. In this light, the use of slang could indicate a healthy broadening of horizons.
New friends from different places all contribute to the vocabulary of a social group and evidence the flow of creative ingenuity — and it’s beautiful, goddammit.
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<strong>Kevin Crittenden can be reached at</strong> <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”><em>[email protected]</em></a>
