These are words used today and spoken out loud by friends or close associates. Today, these words might include “dope,” “cancel” and “lit”. Seeing them in a poem would tell you exactly when that speaker was from.
Slang in any kind of literature is a clear marker of who the speaker is, where they’re from, more than likely their age, and the group of people they associate with. INn the contemporary world slang is so widespread, and so very different where it pops up (which is everywhere) that a close and careful reader can pin down exactly where someone is from if they dedicate enough time to the task.
Examples of Slang Diction in Literature
Example #1: 2 mothers in a h d b playground by Arthur Yap
Poets such as Arthur Yap are noted for their use of slang, as can be seen in the following lines from ‘2 mothers in a h d b playground‘. Take a look at these two lines from the end of the poem:
come, cheong, quick go home & bathe.
ah pah wants to take you chya-hong in new motor-car
The lines of this poem most certainly inform the reader about the speaker. Their language is not elevated, it feels like this person likely has an accent of some kind, or, perhaps grew up in a place where their peers influenced their pronunciation. With study, time, and care, these details can all be fleshed out and a full picture might be made of who every character, just depending on the dialectic differences in their speech, is from.
In fact, Yap is known for his use of a Singlish, or Singapore/American slang. The word “chya-hong” in the second line means “eat wind” and is slang for going for a drive.
