语言的变化飞快，新词汇可能会让家长吓出一身冷汗，好似一门全新的语言，家长经常为孩子讲话时夹带的奇特词汇困惑不已……
Tome, itmeantstolengoods; butwhatdiditmeantomyteenson?2
HowrichAmericanslang3 hasbecome. IfeelasifIamhangingonfordearlifeasthelanguageshiftsandmorphsaroundme, leavingmeatseainanincreasinglyunfamiliarvernacular.4 Sucharethewagesofthepassingyears.
Thelatestfragmenttoarriveontheshoresofmyignoranceis "swag."5 Whenmy 16-year-oldsonfirstutteredit, Iwascaughtoffguard.6 Here'swhathesaidinreferencetooneofhisfriends: "Jesse'sgotswag."7 Now, inmyexperience, swaghastwomeanings: Itreferstoeitherstolengoodsoracollectionofgoodies, suchastheboxesoftoiletriesthatcollegesdistributetostudentsatthebeginningoftheschoolyear.8 ButwhenIsaidtomyson, "WheredidJessegetit?" heregardedmewithapainedexpressionandasked, incredulously, "Whatareyoutalkingabout?"9
WhenIexplainedwhatIunderstood "swag" tomean, Antonlaughed – laughed! – atme. Thenheshookhishead. "OK," Isaid. "Thenwhatdoes 'swag' mean?" Hisanswer: "Ifyouhadit, you'dknow."
Thereitwas: Ihadtofirsthaveswaginordertoknowwhatitmeant. AperfectCatch-2210. SoIsoughtanotherroutetoenlightenment – theseventh-graderImentorinthelocalmiddleschool.11 Duringoneofoursessions, asweporedoverhisSpanishhomework, Ibroachedthedelicatetopic.12 "Doyouknowwhatswagis?" Iaskedhim. "Sure," hesaid. "Itmeansthatyou'recool."
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