Short-lived Words

Words are like living things; they are born, grow, and fade away along with the times. Especially with youth slang and buzzwords, words rooted in a specific era or culture often have surprisingly short lifespans.
In this article, I would like to explore the background of how these short-lived words are born and why they eventually disappear.

The Birth of Short-lived Words

Youth slang and buzzwords are often born from the following backgrounds:

1. Community cohesion: Words born within a specific group or community play a role in strengthening that group's identity. For example, students or online game players may create their own unique expressions.

2. Influence of media and social media: Through television programs or viral spread on social media, they can reach many people overnight. In recent years, TikTok and Twitter trends have become places where new words are born.

3. Sensory appeal: Youth slang and buzzwords often gain popularity due to their rhythm, the fun of their sound, or because they are concise and easy to remember. Words like "emo" (emotional) and "bazuru" (to go viral) are prime examples. Recently, terms like "biju" (visuals), "torima" (for now), and "gacha" (referring to a specific trend) have become popular among young people.

Reasons for Short Lifespans

So, why do these words often end up being short-lived? There are several possible reasons.

1. Overuse: When a buzzword spreads all at once, its freshness is lost, and people get tired of it. As everyone starts using it, its uniqueness actually fades. For example, "baeru" (photogenic), "biju," and "torima" are seeing a decrease in frequency in daily conversation as they pass their peak popularity.

2. Loss of context: When the situation or background in which a word was born fades, its meaning becomes harder to convey. Even "gacha," which was born from a specific online community, may not be understood by those who do not know the original context.

3. Emergence of new words: The cycle of word trends is intense, and as new expressions are born one after another, old ones tend to be weeded out. This structure is similar to trends in fashion and music.

4. Characteristics of internet slang: Words originating from the internet, in particular, depend on the culture and speed unique to the web. Terms like "kusa" (lol) and "sorena" (that's right) can also see a decline in usage frequency after an initial surge.

The Value of Being Short-lived

Being short-lived is not necessarily a negative element. Rather, it serves as a "symbol" that represents that era or culture. For example, words like "maji manji" and "yabai" serve as clues to identify the time period or generation in which they were used.

Furthermore, short-lived words contribute to the formation of new culture and values. Even if temporary, they hold great significance in that they are shared within society and can be enjoyed by many people.

Recording Words and the Future

There is value in recording short-lived words. This is because they become important materials for future generations to understand the atmosphere and values of that era. By recording these words in awards like the Buzzword Awards or in dictionaries, they become clues to looking back at the culture and trends of the time.
Also, by analyzing internet slang and youth language, we can learn about changes in social values and communication.

What short-lived words remain in your heart? They were surely special entities that colored a part of your life.