Youth slang, a constant phenomenon in any living language, has evolved drastically. Its current peculiarity is the direct connection to *streaming* platforms and global content, which accelerate the adoption of loanwords, mainly from English and Spanish, often leaving adults perplexed.
“"All generations have had their slang, the difference with today's youth is that much of it derives from social media and, therefore, tends to adopt words from many languages (Spanish and English, especially)."
This dependence on viral trends makes the slang extremely volatile. **Porté** points out that expressions like “demure” enter and exit quickly, while others like “ràndom” become established. For instance, the expression “six-seven” is used to describe something that generates neither excitement nor rejection.
Regarding concerns about whether this slang harms Catalan, the expert is clear: “Youth slang is not the problem of the Catalan language.” The real debate focuses on the loss of mastery of standard and formal registers, a responsibility that falls on schools and the lack of Catalan cultural references, as young people lack series or dubbing in their language.
Among the most popular terms are “bro” (brother), “aura” (attractive essence), “funar” (publicly criticizing on social media), and “cringe” (second-hand embarrassment). Even parents, such as **Elisabet Prat** or **Joaquim Bastida**, admit hearing expressions like “em renta” (it pays off) or “cringe” at home, demonstrating the rapid penetration of this vocabulary.
