Well is it any diffrent for youth today in talking slang/ ( which if we are honest in London is heavily Jamaican patois influenced) reflects a need/ to express yourself in terms according to your own culture. Alot of the slang nowaydays mind you is American influenced hence you have more youth per square mile using the N word than say 20 years ago. Ive got a cousin who would find it hard to communicate with a parrot and it annoys to me to listen to him as I can hardly understand what he's saying half the time. Thinking on my feet here I would say that the patois we spoke back in the day was more culturally centred and reflected the way our parents spoke routinely/ than this miss mash of American / Jamaican and it must be said exclusively British terms that have crept up over the years. There is no simple answer. Language is not static and I belive that the NEW World languages from the Caribbean are not static as new talk and terms spring up in Jamaica every year. The same spirit/ability has been taken up by London/black youth slang. Before you might of look "trash and ready" to go out now you look "boosh". Now for UK black youth something is "messy" is good and of high quality whereas the term "wicked" has been adopted by whites across the board now. Even your yuppie type.

But I think its a good point that the ability to distinguish when and when not to use these terms has vanished. Look at the trouble school teachers will tell you about text talk creeping into standard writing. They are having the same problem in Jamaica as well. I think globalisation has alot to answer for. Id bet that this problem is being faced all over the globe as Western culture takes a firm grip in urban centres. Lets not forget as well that when we were youths and talking patois white people used to say that we cant speak properly and provided proof of our intellectual abilities.

Another thing. The standard of teaching of the English language that many of us received 20-30 years ago is a diffrent league to what they are getting today.