Red flag, liter, vidlibus. Some may have clear idea of their meaning, while others can get caught offguard when trying to pinpoint the meaning of an otherwise familiar word in the given context. Or what’s more, one might even catch a word that they have never heard before. The complex world of slang can sometimes be truly baffling, but lucky for us, there are those who can show us the way, with the help of some creative solutions.
The Kvalitný Slang team from Slovakia is on a noble mission to help people understand each other better, with a little humor thrown in for good measure. Bratislavans and easterners, men and women, parents and children. Importantly though, they are not trying to become slang creators, but rather to map and record the language of youth and subcultures for the benefit of all of us and future generations. Our society is diverse, and so is our language. The creative project, which could be described as a ‘slang dictionary,’ has already taken the Internet by storm with its distinctive visual world.
The history of Kvalitný Slang dates back to 2018 when Pavol Bartoš created a Facebook page where everyone could share their favorite expressions from around the country. After a while, being a skilled graphic designer, he created a new profile on Instagram, where words were brought to life with their accompanying illustrations. Later, Pavol took a break from his passion project, but then a team was assembled and together they started working on a Slovakian ‘urban dictionary’.
The Kvalitný Slang project is as much about visuality as it is about the meaning of the words, with the graphics always trying to evoke the emotion and mood of the words. Pavol and Marek Ciesarík are responsible for the design of the graphic elements, while their source of inspiration is both their team and the meme images that have exploded over the Internet.
One, if not the main thrust of the project is a book that offers an insight into the world of modern Slovak slang. As with the online platform, the book provides an insight into the latest word trends and expressions of Generation Z. It also shows how this is affecting the language and culture. The book is written in a ‘popular science’ style, making it easy to read and understand, as well as entertaining.
We were curious to find out what would be the favorite expression of a person whose daily life revolves around words, so we asked Pavol, whose witty answer was this: “It’s hard to choose a favorite one. Mapping slang is as difficult as fighting black magic. It’s diverse, it’s always changing, and just when you think you’ve tamed the word, three more meanings grow in its place.”