a very simple question

hello everyone!

well, first of all, I’m from Germany and therefore my english is not the best, so please bear with me. :wink:
As a matter of fact, my question is about the english language:

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to see some Futurama episodes in english and there was this scene I don’t quite get because I don’t understand the meaning of the words. Anyway, the scene boils down to 2 simple sentences:

Fry: “What up?”
Alien: “Word.”

Well, the question is no problem, it’s the answer that’s been giving me some headaches. I took a look at urbandictionary.com and there are quite a few explanations, but they aren’t in the same context and mean things like ‘really?’, ‘exactly!’, ‘agreed’ and so on, all of them not fitting the question (at least imho).

I am sure one of you can enlighten my!

Thanks!

Spriggs

Perhaps it was werd rather than word?

Welcome.

I don’t know if this will help, but as an answer to the greeting, “What’s Up?” I’ve heard the smart ass answer, “A two-letter word defining a direction.” I wonder if Futrama was doing that one?

hmm… isn’t that kind of the same? with ‘werd’ being derived from ‘word’?
or has ‘werd’ a different meaning?

Welkommen, Spriggs.

In this case, ‘What up?’ isn’t really a question. People here often say things like ‘How are you?’ as they walk away instead of just saying ‘Hi.’. Sometimes it doesn’t require an answer. I’ve responded a fair number of times to a retreating back.

Both ‘What up?’ and ‘Word’ are throwaway urban style greetings at times. They have other meanings in other contexts, but you can read this as a simple ‘Hello’.

That sounds like a very plausible explanation! Thanks! Now I can die in peace. :slight_smile:

Word is slang, as used in that exchange.

Normally, when “word” is used as slang, it means “true”. “Word up” would mean “you are saying something true”.

Such as:

“The police just pull me over because I don’t have valid license plates on my car.”
“Word” (Translation: “That is very true.”)

Futurama was just trying to be hip when they wrote the dialogue. They used “word” out of context. The exchange doesn’t make any sense.

It’s a long standing tradition, though, for white America to steal bits and pieces of African American styles. It’s an homage. :rolleyes:

IMG thanks for all the quick responses.

Since your answer is so much different than the one from Inigo I can only guess what the meaning is.

Anyway, thanks again for the quick answers!

The exchange is supposed to be just
‘how are you?’
‘OK’
but the point is that it’s in an urban (i.e. Black) style from about 2000 or so. The characters are talking like teenagers pretending to be cool inner city gang-members.

“What up?” is just shortened from “What’s up?” which means “What’s going on?”
(I don’t know the German; in French it would be “Que’st-ce que se passe?”) which is just another way to say “How are you?”

‘Word’ is just urban slang for ‘I agree’
(The idea is that you’re saying 'yes, your words are good; you are right)

In German it would be “Wie geht’s,” IIRC.

Probably “Wie gehts?” (sorry for spelling).
In French I though most people say Comment ca va? (missing sedilla), literally “How are things going?”
Que’st-ce que se passe is more like “What’s going on?”

Two quick things, so our German friend isn’t confused:

The exchange does make sense, as described above two variations on “hello.” and a much larger segment of society other than “gang members” use this slang. It’s African-American in origin, but I bet you could hear it in any mostly white school in America at this point.

The humor is that characters who probably aren’t human would still be talking this way thousands of years from how.

Redsland is right, it’s “Wie geht’s?” in german.

Well, I think that topic can be considered as done.
So, I was wondering where you’re all from? And what’s even more interesting: What does the outside world think about Germany? Not only in terms of its nazi-history (the 2 latest elections are a bloody shame), but also on things like economy, the german attitude and so on and so forth.
Is it true that there’s a phrase called ‘german angst’? What does is exactly mean?

Is it perhaps referencing the Simpsons N-Sync episode, which also used ‘word’ in an excruciating way?

Any nation that likes Futurama can’t be bad. :stuck_out_tongue:

In colloquial English, we have an idiomatic greeting “What’s up?” (a contraction for “What is up?”) meaning, “How are you?” Similar to “Wie gehts?”

It’s sometimes expanded to “What’s up with you?” (adding the ‘with you’ intensifies the question with the connotation that something is wrong and the questioner definitely wants an answer – not just a rhetorical greeting anymore). Similarly, there’s “What’s up with that?” to ask about something that’s wrong or troubling

In urban/street/ghetto/Black/rap usage, verbs tend to loose what little inflection in English that they have. And so, the phrase becomes, “What up?” or "What up widchyu? (a slurring of ‘with you’), or “What up widdat?” [a slurring of ‘with that’])

“Word” has been adequately covered. Though, I’ll add that I believe it’s origin lies in Black gospel churches where ‘the Word of the Lord is true’, leading to the faithful one speaking a true ‘word.’ And thus, ‘word’ --> ‘true’ —> general acknowledgment of agreement —> OK.

In the U.S., we have the situation where the majority White culture picks up slang from the Black/rap culture. This is in itself humorous and ironic on many levels.

In Futurama, they often make the in-joke that words and styles we may consider to be wrong or just a fad actually become mainstream in the future.

And so, we have Frye, who greets an alien with his 20th century street slang, and the alien, surprisingly, replies in kind. In other words, this Black/rap slang becomes standard English throughout the universe.

{For a similar joke, consider that they tell Frye that in the 30th century, the correct pronunciation of ‘ask’ is ‘aks,’ which is a somewhat common mispronunciation in the 20th century. Ever since that episode, all the 30th century characters pronounced ‘ask’ as ‘aks.’}

Peace.

The episode got it wrong. The proper response to “What up?” (“How are you doing?”) is “Aaahhhite.” (“I’m fine.”) Technically, the initial query should be the more modern “Sup?”. “What up?” is more 1980-ish.

I’ve never heard someone say “german angst,” but I feel the connotations are that it’s angst with a nihilistic/Nietzschean flavor to it, as opposed to “teenage angst.” (“My parents hate me. I have no friends.”) I could also see it as being somewhat of a reference to Mike Myers’ “Schprockets” skits on Saturday Night Live.

The impression that I have about Americans’ impressions of Germany is one of a highly efficient and law-abiding society. I’ve heard quite a few Americans talk of watching people standing at a crosswalk waiting for the light to change when there are no cars on the road, and “german engineering” is considered the pinnacle of mechanical design.

Well, Frye’s favorite song is “Walking on Sunshine.”

The show takes place hundreds of years from now, how could any joking reference to the past “get it wrong?” In any event, I still hear “what up” all the time; this is contemporary.

Black English Vernacular drops the “s” on possessives; beyond a “slurring” this is part of BEV’s different grammar structure (and it is a structure; it’s internally consistant) which makes it a different dialect than Standard American English… just as I was pointing out on a seperate thread on English language dialects last night…