Language Investigations 1

I am a member of many communities in society. One community in particular that I am a part of is Colorado State University college students. Beings students, we have a language that covers many areas of our lives as community members. Topics in our language are as wide as homework to rent, to night life and boyfriends. Such phrases as ‘have you been able to get on to RAMCT lately?’ are common. Students who use that language are referring to an educational on line portal where grades and information are discovered. RAMCT is unique to Colorado State University’s curriculum. “Are you going over to Mobey for the game tonight?” is another question that a student from CSU would ask. Someone who used that language would be referring to the athletic complex on the campus called Mobey Arena. “Let’s go Wash tonight” is also a phrase that Colorado State students use. The word Wash is short for Washington’s Sport’s Bar, a popular hangout spot for students. They would say ‘Wash’ because our community knows what students are referring to the local bar. Another phrase that a student would say is ‘I have a vaio’ or ‘I use Mac’. In this case, a college student would be referring to the type of computer system that they use. Once again, as students we pretty much already know what those two types of computer systems are so we do not feel the need to say ‘I use a Macintosh computer.’ ‘Facebook’ is a well known on line portal that virtually every college student uses. Though adults and other people who do not use the networking system may know what it is, they may not be exactly familiar with the other terms and usage of the site. As a college student, it can pretty much be guaranteed that you have a good understanding of the word and all that comes with it. ‘A blue book’ is a term that Colorado State students use to describe a certain school supply. It is a book that many students use in their classes. If I asked my dad to go to the book store and grab me a ‘blue book’ I am quite certain that he would not know what I was talking about without an explanation. ‘Corbet’ is the name of one of the dorms that is very well known on campus. If I was speaking to someone at another University and told them “I love Corbet” they could think I was talking about a boy or something else. Colorado State Students probably defiantly know what ‘Corbet’ would be referring to. ‘Cam the Ram’ is the unique mascot for Colorado State University. Students at CSU are most likely aware of who ‘Cam’ is, but a parent or sibling may not know who the loveable mascot is.