Activity: Read the Reddit post below featuring a 'Gen Z translation' of an excerpt from the first Harry Potter book.
Discuss the lexical choices in both the book translation and in the Reddit post:
a) In the book translation, which words/phrases would you identify as being the intended 'slang'?
b) Which of these slang words/phrases do you think accurately represent how teenagers spoke in 2021? Which of them would seem out of place for a Gen Z* speaker?
c) Reddit user 'butterednutsquash' labels the translation 'how do you do fellow kids', suggesting that the author may be out of touch with current teenage slang. Discuss where the expression 'how do you do fellow kids' comes from and which demographic(s) you think would be most likely to use it.
d) Particular slang phrases are often attributed to specific demographics (groups, including generations), but people can sometimes be incorrect in these attributions.
How do you definitively determine which slang is commonly used by each age group? Suggest reasons why disagreements or misunderstandings may be common in discussions about generational slang.
*Gen Z refers to people born between approximately 1997 and 2012.
Original text below:
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