When slang first came onto the scene, it seemed to many a language that uneducated people used to communicate with their peers.  As the years went on the new language known as slang came to be synonymous with African American teenagers and young adults.  Slang is a language that has held its ground to prove that it is just a simpler way of speaking when two or more peers get together and communicate in an informal atmosphere. Slang has created some new words because of people being from different places and having various accents.  Also, slang has found something new to broaden its horizons; and that is using everyday words and altering their meanings. Slang is also a language that has expanded into classrooms in colleges all over the nation.  This form of slang now has its own slang term for a title; that title is Ebonics.  All over the United States Ebonics as political people has affected the way the English vocabulary has changed.  Now since people are taking more sophisticated words and converting them into slang terms, the world feels a need now to acknowledge the fact that they better learn this language.  Slang is on the rise.

        The word I chose as a slang term is sharp.  The word sharp means a lot of different things depending on how it is used in the context.  Sharp to me in a general meaning, means to be the best, or look really nice in articles of clothing, or it can just be a complementary word.  Sharp is one of those slang terms that has to be used in the right place at the right time.  If someone makes a mistake in using the term it is painfully obvious, and your peers would probably look at you funny.  The fact that sharp is self explanatory, using it at the wrong time has the same effect as someone using improper grammar when talking to a professor, or to someone of a higher intelligence.

        The term entered my dialogue when I was about thirteen or fourteen.  It was being used in the barbershops that I would go to when I needed a haircut.   When the barbers would finish cutting someone's hair the person would say to the barber; "man you are sharp."  The barbers interpreted this that the customers meant that they were sharp like knives; because the outline that they gave their customers was so straight it looked as if a knife was used.  So in this content the word sharp was a complement to the barbers.  So when people came to get a haircut they would ask who is the sharpest man in here, referring to who makes the straightest hairline. The word also could be used when someone who is really smart start to show it off.  This usage would be keen during an oral test in one of your classes or when a person seemingly had all the right answers to questions. This would cause someone to "you are mighty damn sharp with those answers today.

        The New Webster's Dictionary defines sharp as: Having keen, cutting edge or fine point;  abrupt; having ready perception; quick; an expert;  to give a keen edge or fine point to; one who, or that which, sharpens.

        I think that the word sharp came into being because it made the perfect word to refer to things that looked nice when people wanted to use a relaxed dialogue.  Another way the word sharp gets used is when a male or female is getting dressed up for the day, and especially when they are getting dressed for a formal event.  For example, when a person is going on their prom, he/she gets all dressed in their tuxedo or gowns you might here one of their peers say, "You look mighty sharp tonight."  You would also say this to a person if they look presentable for no apparent reason, because you are so used to them looking one way that when they change for the better you usually complement. For example, when a college student goes to his/her morning class everyday in just jogging pants and a tee shirt you get used to that look, but if one morning they come in nice attire you might say "you are looking mighty sharp there."

        There is another way that we use sharp, and that is when describing something that has to deal with sport. As stated in the slang meaning of the word sharp also means to be the best at what you do. If that does not implicate that it refers to sport then I do not know what it means.  When you go to a football game and the quarterback is having one of those games that seem to be perfect you might catch yourself saying "He is mighty sharp today."  The reason I chose quarterback as an example is because sharp favors quarterbacks more since they have to throw the ball almost perfect every time to insure a complete pass.  Sharp is also used in Baseball, when a Pitcher is having a good game and throwing a lot of strikes you will use it complementing the game he/she is playing.
 
        The term sharp was used by generation's way before ours. The earliest that I know it was used is by my Grandparents generation.  In their time the word essentially had the same meaning as I have defined it, with a slight twist.  When they used the term for the barbershop it just meant that the barber's equipment used to cut them a lot.  My parent's generation also used it for the same reasons, but then they added the twist on it that has carried over to the generations of today.

        My parent's generation started using the word sharp to describe the way a person looked when they dressed up for a formal event.  As time went on this way of describing the way someone looked started to spill over to casual dressing too. From what my Father told me, as teenagers when the word was used they always were referring to how a person looked when they dressed casually.  As his friends and him started to get older the word expanded in meaning.  That is when they started to use it more for formal events and less for casual events. My Mother said that the word sharp had a reference to formal wear to her and her friends.  She also told me that they guys would try to discourage them from using the word.  The guys would say that the word was a guy thing.  My Mom said ninety percent of the time they would use sharp to refer to the way a friend's hairstyle looked after she came from the salon.  This in fact gave a lot of females another avenue to use the word, thus expanding the meaning.

        My parent's generation was also the generation that introduced sharp as a slang term that can be used for sports. They started using it at all the local high school football games. Since in high school the athletes are not pro caliber yet, it was the highest of the complements to say that someone was looking sharp today on the playing field.  This once again changed the meaning of the word but it made it a term that was universal for everyone to use. Both the guys and the girls felt comfortable using the word at sporting events.
 
        It seems to me that a lot of different kinds of people use the word sharp as a slang term.  One of the reasons I believe this is true is the word is a term that has been in the English language for as long as my grandparents can remember.  The only thing is that the meaning has been altered because of the different environments.  If you refer the word back to the dictionary meaning the slang meaning makes sense compared to it. So I think this makes people of all classes feel comfortable using it as a slang term.
 
        A term that I might use in place for sharp is on point.  If you are a frequent slang speaker, which most teenagers and young adults are, then you understand why.  On point just flat out sounds like it is the perfect substitute for sharp.  However, the only down fall in using on point, it is not as versatile as sharp.  On point can be used to refer to formal and/or casual wear, but not to be used to complement the outfit like sharp does.  If you see something that is really nice in a department store window you would say something like "that is on point."  Now when the person has the outfit on then on point just does not have the descriptive power of sharp.

        When you talk about using the term on point as a substitute for sharp in the situations regarding the barbershop's haircuts, or a hair salons hair do's then ok.  When a man leaves a barbershop, or women leaves the hairstylist or nail salon, you can say "Wow your hairstyle is on point," or "Man your haircut is definitely on point."  You would only substitute on point for sharp in situations that are repetitive.  For example, if someone dresses nice everyday you start to get used to that one look, so you start saying, "That outfit is on point."  Same thing goes for haircuts, hairstyles, and nail designs.
 
        The term has not changed too much over the years. From what I have seen sharp has had the same meaning, but it just has been elaborated on.  The only way I might say it has changed is the barbershop meaning. Instead of it meaning that the barber had sharp equipment, it now means that the barber makes a sharp hairline that looks like a knife was used to make it that straight.  The past ten years the word has kept a strong emphasis on describing how people looked in formal wear.  The only difference now is that sharp has expanded over into the casual wear category.  The reason being young people today do not want to use the same slang terms that their parents have used before and are still using in some cases.  So what do you do when young adults and teenagers are in a situation that requires them to use the same slang term that was used by their parents, alter the meaning or expand it.  Over the last couple of years that is exactly what happened. Young adults and teenagers started to use the word for casual wear so they could claim the word for their generation.  If you think about it my parents did the same thing to my grandparents generation when they got hold of the word.
 
        A big reason I feel that certain slang terms do not have the longevity of others is dependent on there versatility.  If a word is subjected to just one group, class, or sex of people then it will not have a long life in the language of the people.  When the word can be changed or altered with essentially having the same meaning as before, then, that will be a plus for the slang language.  Words that can be used by people of all classes and by both sexes give the word new life as time goes on.

        With luck you might be able to get the word into the English language; look at ain't.  When you take a word that is already in the English language and make it a slang term, then you definitely cannot subject it to one group or class of people. The reason why it cannot be subjected to one group or class of people, they have already been using that word. So no matter what the meaning people will feel that they have the right to use the term any way they want to.  That also means, whatever word you take from the English language and convert to a slang term, it is not for a certain class of people and neither can you say it is offensive to our class or group if you use it in any context.

         Slang terms rely on so many different things for them to survive in the rough English everyday dialogue.  When you look at what words have made it over the years, most of them were just words that have had a similar meaning to the words original meaning.  People look for a word that is versatile and one that cannot possibly offend anyone when it is being used.  Sharp is just one of those terms. People of all kinds seemed to have been looking for a word that was hip and cool, but yet not sound incompetent.  Sharp has stayed around for so long because, it was not a word just for black people or white people. It is a word that civilized and uncivilized people use to have some type of slang usage in their vocabulary.

         When you find a word that covers all of your communication needs, you tend to stick with it.  Sharp has obviously made people of all generations and of all sexes, races, and classes feel that way.  There are many words that have not made it this far, and I am pretty sure that there are many more words that will not last as long as sharp has in the future. Sharp has every single quality that a slang term needs to be in a slang dictionary, everyday talk between peers, and even a little time to shine in the spotlight of Ebonics.

Omar Sistrunk