I like this piece Meg. But I think it’s safe to say that this word comes anywhere from the military to the Black community from Italians from the Greeks from the Jews. Oy!

I think what makes language enter into the “appropriation” zone (for lack of a better phrase) is how certain groups use certain words and phrases. Logically speaking, I think it’s safe to say that we don’t know when or how it was popularized (I’d give anything to know the nationality of the person who created that Wikipedia page (laughing)).

Much of current slang vernacular hails from the Black culture community and is popularized through hip hop and predominately white (created) sites like Urban Dictionary. From there, it takes on a different form. Hence the myriad of whites who have used that word in belief that it was a way to relate to me as a black person.

“yo” is used in like 20 million different ways in the Black community, beginning and ending sentences, call and response, and depending on emotion. It punctuates slang speech consistently.

Ah f**k it. I think what makes English especially unique is its absorption of every other language. English slang is bananas because it’s a reflection of 'deep' American culture as well as a reflection of other linguistic contributions of other cultures.