Youth slang is constantly changing. However, some words go through periods of decline and the next heyday more often than others. One of such colorful representatives of slang was the word "dude". Many do not attach importance to him, calmly addressing female friends in this way or discussing a friend on the side. But is the term as harmless as teenagers see it?
From male to female
Evolution is easy to trace on the example of the version for the strong half of humanity. "Dude" was exploited throughout the 20th century. Oddly enough, in the modern language, the meaning of the word "chuvikha" in everyday life has changed little and retained negative connotations. There are two versions of the origin of the original:
- gypsy "faq" - "guy", reworked by the efforts of thieves' jargon;
- abbreviation for "a person who respects high American culture."
The first version was formed in the 1920s, used to interact with people of one's own group or to address strangers. And also“Dude” could be replaced by the name of the interlocutor, but only within the framework of his social circle, otherwise this is a direct insult and a clear manifestation of disrespect, even a threat. The word "dude" existed in similar meanings, highlighting its carriers in a specific social group.
The second version gained popularity in the 1960s in the wake of the heyday of the dude subculture. Lovers of jazz, bright clothes and crazy entertainment gave their meaning to the word. "Dudes" became the fighting girlfriends of the Soviet revelers. There was still nothing wrong with such treatment within one particular group.
Offensive notes
What could a representative of the thieves' environment do? She did not go out to rob, rarely steal, and had no access to serious money. And morals were very free. The most common profession for such ladies was prostitution. The fact is reflected in the female version of the term. Philologists have suggested that novice priestesses of love were often treated in exactly the same way that was imprinted in people's memory.
21st century realities
Call a friend or refer to a stranger as a dude, and in most cases you will be able to make friends. After all, now this term is almost a complete analogue of the English dude - buddy.
At the same time, polls have shown that contemporaries see only a negative meaning for the word "dude", they closely associate it with an indication of a sexual partner. And if in close communication you can afford liberties, then inin a public place such linguistic experiments will be inadmissible.
