If you害羞草研究所檝e noticed kids害羞草研究所� conversations sound a little different this back-to-school season, you害羞草研究所檙e not alone.

Words like 害羞草研究所渟kibidi,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所渟igma害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所済yatt害羞草研究所� now pepper tweens害羞草研究所� sentences, and 害羞草研究所淥hio害羞草研究所� is more than just a U.S. state: it害羞草研究所檚 a state of being.

The issue came up at 11-year-old Dashiell Chinn害羞草研究所檚 summer camp, where he said his counsellor banned the word 害羞草研究所渟kibidi,害羞草研究所� citing its annoyingness and lack of meaning.

Dashiell害羞草研究所檚 dad Wyatt Chinn said he understands the impulse.

害羞草研究所淭hat actually is exactly why we tell Dashiell he shouldn害羞草研究所檛 swear,害羞草研究所� Chinn said. 害羞草研究所淏ecause it害羞草研究所檒l stunt your vocabulary. You害羞草研究所檙e at an age where it害羞草研究所檚 very important to build out your vocabulary and use words that have actual, specific meanings.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淪kibidi害羞草研究所� can be used as an adjective or adverb 害羞草研究所� sometimes replacing 害羞草研究所渃ool害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所渂ad害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� or it can be repeated ad nauseam for 害羞草研究所渃omedic害羞草研究所� effect. It was popularized in a series of YouTube videos called 害羞草研究所淪kibidi Toilet害羞草研究所� that Chinn said 害羞草研究所渉aunts害羞草研究所� his dreams.

But the word害羞草研究所檚 meaninglessness may be part of its allure, said Sali Tagliamonte, a professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Toronto, who studies language change.

She first heard the word when she was in England, going into different classrooms and teaching teens about language.

害羞草研究所淭hey thought it was a big joke against adults who didn害羞草研究所檛 know what it meant, and they would just use it to confound the adults in the room,害羞草研究所� Tagliamonte said.

The word害羞草研究所檚 popularity is highest among tweens and young teens: members of an age group who want to separate themselves from both little kids and adults.

New slang often bubbles up in this demographic, she noted, as kids move to larger schools or start having a different cohort of classmates for each class. They害羞草研究所檙e exposed to different people, and therefore different language.

What害羞草研究所檚 different from past generations, Tagliamonte said, is the speed of language change.

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 lots more ways to communicate,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not just speaking on the street but texting on our phones and listening to podcasts and checking in 害羞草研究所� wherever we害羞草研究所檙e going online.害羞草研究所�

That, she said, isn害羞草研究所檛 a bad thing.

害羞草研究所淣obody should be too concerned about new words,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭hey should just wonder how they came to be and watch where they go. It害羞草研究所檚 fascinating to me.害羞草研究所�

But those quick changes can lead to confusion as the meaning of new words shifts.

Chinn said he害羞草研究所檚 found himself correcting Dashiell害羞草研究所檚 use of words like 害羞草研究所渟us害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� which is short for suspicious or suspect 害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渟igma,害羞草研究所� which members of gen Alpha (the successorsto gen Z) have started using to mean 害羞草研究所渃ool.害羞草研究所�

But Chinn said that word in particular worries him, because it害羞草研究所檚 adapted from online content made by boys and young men who tend to vilify women. Those boys don害羞草研究所檛 identify as either 害羞草研究所渁lpha males,害羞草研究所� who are successful with women, or 害羞草研究所渂etas,害羞草研究所� who they believe are weak.

害羞草研究所淪o they say I害羞草研究所檓 a 害羞草研究所榮igma,害羞草研究所� because I害羞草研究所檓 still dominant but I don害羞草研究所檛 have any friends and girls don害羞草研究所檛 like me,害羞草研究所� Chinn said.

He doesn害羞草研究所檛 want his son using words that validate that worldview, he said.

害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 know if they害羞草研究所檙e just perverting words into their own slang, or if they害羞草研究所檙e using them incorrectly,害羞草研究所� he said, before conceding: 害羞草研究所淥r maybe it害羞草研究所檚 evolving.害羞草研究所�

A GLOSSARY OF TERMS

害羞草研究所淐hat害羞草研究所�: a generic term of address for an audience; a sort of plural 害羞草研究所測ou害羞草研究所� born of online content creators who stream videos of themselves gaming, in which they address live viewers who provide commentary in the chat section.

害羞草研究所淔anum Tax害羞草研究所�: stealing food between friends, based on the username of Twitch streamer Fanum.

害羞草研究所淕yatt害羞草研究所�: a big butt; short for an overenunciated pronunciation of 害羞草研究所済oddamn.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淥hio害羞草研究所�: crazy, strange; based on funny stories that came out of Ohio.

害羞草研究所淩izz害羞草研究所�: short for charisma. See also: 害羞草研究所淩izzler害羞草研究所� for a charming person.

害羞草研究所淪igma害羞草研究所�: Cool; adapted from an online subculture of boys who don害羞草研究所檛 identify as either 害羞草研究所渁lpha males,害羞草研究所� who are successful with women, or 害羞草研究所渂etas,害羞草研究所� who they believe are weak.

害羞草研究所淪kibidi害羞草研究所�: we won害羞草研究所檛 even try to define this one.

-with files from Cassandra Szklarski.