This teacher “translates” slang he hears from his students in this hilarious Google doc

Slang often gets a bad rap, but the reality is language is constantly changing and evolving. Slang is also no less legit (see what we did there?) than standard English, and some words have even made it into Merriam-Webster. That said, it can be hard to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of wordplay—so one teacher in Lowell, Massachusetts created a Google doc of student slang, and his efforts have now gone viral.

On April 30th, Twitter user @mewtailv2 shared pictures of their sociology teacher’s self-compiled guide to slang terms. Called “Callahan’s Generation Z Dictionary,” the document arranges words alphabetically and pairs them with their definitions. The entries range from “slaps” to “jams,” to almost everything in between. (It’s also definitely worth noting that many of the words defined originally come from African-American Vernacular English, or AAVE, so they’re not strictly “Generation Z.”)

The list has racked up more than 535,000 likes and 150,000 retweets as of May 2nd.

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1123441778185711616

Best one pic.twitter.com/UICu404QzF

— φ🇺🇸🇮🇪 Noodle Dog🇭🇰🦊ζ⃠💙(coms. closed) (@KawausoIchigo) May 1, 2019

The fact he teaches sociology is what makes this special.

— ZiggyJ (@Blvck_CIoud) May 1, 2019

he had these up a few weeks ago too LMAOOOO pic.twitter.com/6VZcHWI4II

— duality prince$$ (@heverlybillzz) May 1, 2019

I'm dead, your sociology professor is high key a real one 🤣

— dummy (@globethrobbers) April 30, 2019

One user even suggested new additions.

Explain yeet to him, it'll need its own chart

— Exen (@exentrik137) May 1, 2019

The dictionary was in such high demand that Mr. Callahan himself shared the full list.

He also used his newfound viral fame to ask for contributions to his school.

Here you go, internet:https://t.co/WJ4GU8yVXc

If you're feeling philanthropic, here are two programs in our community that need funding:https://t.co/sngcQWQoNThttps://t.co/RIRj7QLF8h

— Mr. Callahan (@lhs_sociology) May 1, 2019

We’re giving Callahan props for trying to connect with his students (especially because a lot of educators don’t allow slang in their classrooms at all—which is often highly insensitive and ignores the fact that language is strongly connected to class and cultural background). It’s refreshing to see an educator make this specific kind of effort.