Slang, we use it every day, and most of the time without even noticing it.  Slang has become a standard part of many languages around the world.  The origins of these informal words and phrases seem to derive from subcultures within a society.  Groups like teenagers, the armed forces, racial minorities, medical professionals, and computer specialists are notable originators of both jargon and slang.  In the twentieth century, mass media and accelerated travel have hastened the circulation and the collapse of slang terms.  In this essay, I plan to discuss how the term �hack� originated, give examples of how it is used, speculate how the computer expression derived, compare it with similar slang terms, and ultimately try to convince you that it should be admitted into Standard American English.

         �Hack� is a computer term that is used to describe someone getting illegal information through the Internet by means of a computer or to unlawfully break into another computer system with malicious intent.  A �hacker� is �a person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities� accords the Oxford English Dictionary.  This word is a negative word so to speak, because hacking is a bad thing.  The term �hack� was first used in the thirteenth century as �a tool or implement for breaking or chopping up [something]� (OED).  The people of the fifteenth century used the term �hack� to portray �a gash or wound made by a cutting blow, or by rough or clumsy cutting� (OED).  In the eighteenth century,  �hack� was a football term used to describe �a cut or gash in the skin caused by a kick with the toe of a boot� and also was used to describe �a short dry cough� (OED).  A game that uses a foot bag filled with beads called hacky sack uses the term �hack� as well.  The object of this game is to keep the foot bag in motion as long as possible by using any part of the body except for one�s hands.  A �hack� is when everyone playing the game hits the sack at least once without letting it touch the ground.  One could say, �Do you have the hacky sack? Let�s go hack.�  This game is popular with preteens and teenagers.  Currently the term �hack� is � a spell of hacking on a computer; an act of gaining unauthorized access to a computer system.�  This more current definition came about in 1983 in an Australian magazine called Your Computer.

         I speculated that the term �hack� eventually evolved into a computer expression because of the way it was used in past centuries.  In past centuries the word was commonly used to describe a method of cutting using some sort of instrument.  Well, in the case of computer hacking, the instrument would be the computer or Internet, and the cut or wound would be present in the computer system that was �hacked� into.

         Words similar to �hack� are �software pirating,� �cracking,� and �phreaking.�  �Software pirating� is the act of illegal distribution and/or usage of software because the company�s rights to the software were never given to the so-called �pirates.�  �Cracking� can be best explained by Eric S. Raymond, author of The New Hacker�s Dictionary:

�Cracking� is breaking the copy protection and/or security present in a game or piece of software.  A �cracker� is a malicious meddler who tries to discover sensitive information by poking around.  This word was coined by hackers in defense against journalistic misuse of the term �hacker.�  The term �cracker� reflects a strong revulsion at the theft and vandalism executed by cracking rings.  There is a far less overlap between hackerdom and crackerdom than most would suspect.

        This use of �cracking� could possibly be derived from other meanings.  When someone cracks something they chip it or damage it, when someone cracks something in computer terms they �damage� the security or protection present in software.  �Phreaking� is �to use an electronic device to obtain (a telephone call) without payment� accords to the Oxford English Dictionary.  The word �phreak� is a modified spelling of �freak� under the influence of the word �phone.�  According to Webster�s New World Dictionary, the word �freak� means an �unusual happening.�  Therefore, the word �phreak� became accredited to the word �freak� because supposedly when the phone calls were first being obtained without payment, this was an unusual happening.  �Phreak� was first used in 1972 in an American magazine called Daily Telephone.  The excerpt from the magazine is as follows: �The craze started in America and there are said to be 150 �phreaks� in this country who swop information and have equipment and dialing codes which give them free use of the world�s telephone system.�  �Phone phreaking� is how the word is most commonly used.  These words are all similar because they all obtain something or some kind of service illegally.

         The word �hack� can be used in many ways in the English language.  It may be used as a noun, as in �a hack.�  For example, Knight Rider bragged to his friends about the greatest hack he ever accomplished.  Another usage of �hack� as a noun is to describe the person unlawfully breaking into another computer system to gain information that one is not supposed to see, which is �a hacker.�  For example, Kevin Mitnick, one of the greatest hackers the world has ever seen will get released from prison on January twenty-first in the year two thousand.  �Hack� may be used as a verb as well.  For instance, Flash Lightening hacked into the FBI mainframe.

         Now, I probably know what you�re thinking, �What is Knight Rider and Flash Lightening?� (as referenced in the above paragraph).  Hackers have their own language.  Names like Knight Rider and Lightening Flash are called �handles.�  They use the word �handle� instead of nickname.  Some more examples of hacker language would be �raster burn,� �sneaker,� �vaporware,� and �wizard� to name a few.  �Raster burn� is �eyestrain brought on by too many hours of looking at a poorly tuned or glare-ridden monitor� (Raymond).  A �sneaker� is �an individual hired to break into places in order to test their security� (Raymond).  The word �sneaker� possibly derived from being sneaky or devious.  �Vaporware� is a product announced far in advance of its release, and in some cases never gets released.  Perhaps, the word �vaporware� came about because vapor is something you cannot see, and since it is something announced way in advance, the common folk do not see it until it is released.  Therefore, one combined vapor with the word ware (like software) to make �vaporware�.  Finally, a �wizard� is �a person who knows how a complex piece of software or hardware works, especially someone who can find and fix bugs quickly in an emergency� (Raymond).  A �wizard,� in medieval terms, is a person who is a master at spells.  The computer term �wizard� carried itself over from how it was used in medieval times.  A �wizard� in computer language is a �master� of a complex piece of software or hardware.

         �Hack� is a word that is used by all ages.  Teenagers use this word because most of the time, they are the ones that are doing the hacking.  Older generations use it because they could possibly be the ones that are being hacked.  Employees of large enterprises like NASA could be using the term because someone has hacked into their system.

        It all depends on who is saying the word �hack� to determine what sort of tone that would be used.  If the hacker is using the term, he or she would be very enthusiastic, possibly have a grin on his or her face, and most likely would have an adrenaline rush going through his or her body because what he or she just accomplished was in all likelihood illegal.  In context, the hacker would say, �I just hacked into the CIA�s webpage!�  If the person or establishment is the one being hacked, the person would be furious with anger, would most likely be shouting swear words, and if the person happens to be old or somewhat old, the wrinkles on their head would be scrunched up.  In context, the one that was hacked would say, �#%?&%?$#!% My computer has just been hacked *&*%%$#!�

        As you can see many people use the word �hack� in many ways.  Since we are heading into a century that will soon be dominated by computers, the word �hack� will be used more heavily.  One would never think in past centuries that our society would be so advanced in technology by 1999.  Currently, computers are our gateway for information and communication; we cannot live without our personal computers, cellular phones, and pagers without feeling disconnected to the world.
New and improved technology is being produced everyday and hackers test their skills on this technology.  Hackers are even being hired by big corporations to find loopholes in their systems so that their systems can be tamper resistant.  �Hack� is used everyday and will be continued to be used everyday as long as we live in an age of technology.  The word �hack� should be admitted into Standard American English because it has become a common term all across the world.  Hacking will always be a part of the computer world.  As long as people have curiosity and access to the Internet, hackers will remain to be a part of the computer phenomenon.

Jill Geiger