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The epitaph for 'wicked-cool' slang

I can vividly remember in my pre-pubescent years, living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, having a deep and well-informed understanding of my fellow fourth graders. This understanding was based not on friendship, love or even respect for one another but on the ability to correctly communicate, and this communication was founded on having knowledge of the most current and up-to-date "slang" words.

Yes, it was very important to be capable of correctly utilizing words and phrases such as "wicked (or any variation of this word, such as the classic "wicked-cool")," "choice," "boss," "radical" and the ever insulting "burn on you!" For reasons unknown however, these words mysteriously disappear from our vocabularies left to be lost and forgotten forever.

Instead, our modern lingo consists of words like "phat," "dope" and "fly." These words also seem to be used quite infrequently, definitely on a much smaller scale then the language used growing up in the '80's.

Some may attribute the loss of this "forgotten language" to growing up and moving on, leaving childish ways behind and discovering the adult world. However, this leaves a question that has nagged me ever since I began to think back on the days of yore. Why is it that the children of today have no knowledge of terms like "mass-rad" and "coolness?" Parker Lewis himself brought the word "coolness" to the forefront and made it an everyday occurrence.

According to Yetta Goodman, Regents professor of Language, Reading and Culture at the University of Arizona, the evolution of adolescent terminology is the result of a number of things including the need for a group to express themselves in a way that perpetuates closeness and camaraderie, new technology and inventions, political correctness and a number of other creative forces. However, there is no certain answer as to why this created language dissipates.

What "slang" terms are the fourth graders of today using, if any? I have not once heard the words "wicked-awesome" uttered from the lips of any children for quite some time. Where did our "dudical" words go wrong? Perhaps I am just getting older and out of touch. Is the "slang" language that we use as children a result of the adaptation of terms presented to us in popular media?

Yes, according to professor Goodman. In fact, the television shows and films that are presented to and viewed by the youth of the country have a major impact on the lingo words that adolescents pick up on and incorporate into their daily vocabulary. I guess looking back, I could probably directly attribute quite a bit of the terminology of my youth to programs like "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" and "Different Strokes."

Maybe I should start watching more episodes of "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" to get in touch with today's youth. Psyche!