Fluidity and Lexical Variation in Sheng: The Impact of In-Group/ Out-Group Mentality

Abstract

Fluidity and lexical variation in the Sheng language have of late been a subject of discussion and a concern to many scholars. Sheng users seem to have numerous lexical items that are used to refer to the same thing, person, process or situation. Moreover, the words keep on changing in reference to the same item, person or situation. This paper investigates the reasons why words in the Sheng language change after a short time of usage. The paper seeks to explain the reasons behind the lexical variations and the fluidity. The data are collected from field interviews. The interviews are conducted through random sampling where different youths from different regions are interviewed and the lexicons used are recorded and noted. Besides, Sheng words that refer to specific items and situations under research in this paper are collected from existing publications on Sheng. The paper is guided by the Social Identity Theory (SIT) and employs it in analyzing reasons for the fluidity and lexical variations in Sheng, focusing specifically on the in-group and out-group mentality of users. The findings of this research enable us to explain the main reason behind the lexical variation in Sheng by the use of the primary and secondary data that is obtained from the interviews and various academic literature. An understanding of the aspect of lexical variation will add to the knowledge that already exists about Sheng and help those who want to learn the language to be aware of the confusion that might arise during the learning process due to its fluidity. The findings show that there are indeed variations in preferred Sheng lexicons due to secrecy, privacy and the linkage of some of the words with insecurity and crime, etc.