Nicole Rosen: Why '6-7' Is Meaningless But Makes Sense - January 19, 2026
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The missing link between scientific journals and relationship counseling. The Last Show with David Cooper. What happens when your language, the words you use, aren't really about definitions, but more about indicating that you belong to a group? And with that, let's unpack why kids yelling 6-7 means nothing, drives adults crazy, and yet says everything you need to know about who's in the group with the kids and who is out. I am here with editor at the Canadian Journal of Linguistics and linguistics professor at the University of Manitoba, Nicole Rosen. Nicole, welcome to the show. Thank you. I am someone whose accent has been pulled from Toronto to San Francisco to New York. I am fascinated about the idea that language can signal belonging to a group without meaning anything.
So let's get to 6-7. What does it mean? And I know that's a meaningless question.
Yeah, so I guess in the traditional sense of meaning, it doesn't mean anything. So, you know, there's no actual thing you can point to that means six, seven, you can't say, you know, it's not a type of car, it's not a type of book, and it's not a verb, it's nothing like that. It doesn't even mean those numbers, right?
What is 'slanguage' and how does it relate to group identity?
Like, it's not really counting. So, it's really just an indicator that you are part of a group. It's got this thing called social meaning, and it just indicates that you know what it means. That's really all it means. And so, you say it, like you hear it, and then you laugh because, oh, you know, they said 6-7, and they don't know what it means, but I do. That's all it means.
Give me an example of an exchange between adolescents that would include the phrase 6-7.
Well, there's lots of, it seems to be expanding, but I think sometimes teachers will report, you know, that there'll just be, oh, it's like six, seven pages.
Why do kids use phrases like '6-7' if they mean nothing?
And then everyone will say, oh, six, seven. And all the kids, you know, laugh that it's six, seven. That six, seven doesn't mean anything, right? But also a friend of mine said that some boy was being sort of, was picking on some girl in his classroom. kid's class. And so the girl was making fun of this boy and the boy just said, six, seven, like as if it didn't matter. And that explained everything. Like, I don't know. So maybe it's expanding in meaning. Maybe it's developing a meaning that I'm not aware of. But as far as I know, it doesn't really mean anything.
And yet it does have, like you say, social meaning. So without using linguistics jargon, I don't mean to pick on your group of researchers, but you do have a lot of it. What is the simplest way to understand social meaning when it comes to word use?
It's just a way of indicating things about yourself. So, you know, it could be things like or how you feel about something. So if you're really pro something, you're going to use positive language towards it, things like that. And those can all be indicators of social meaning. Also, if you use a certain type of slang or jargon, it tells you people that you're part of that group. So, you know, if you're a hockey fan, then maybe you're going to use sort of hockey lingo that maybe not everyone else will understand. So that kind of puts you in other people's eyes as someone who sort of gets hockey. And I'm saying hockey, of course, because I'm from Canada and I'm in Winnipeg and it's very cold outside today.
So we got to think about hockey. But it's that kind of thing.
Puck. net score i'm good at hockey probably yeah yeah so that would be something you know that it's just using kind of in-group language i think calling it in-group is also a way of thinking about it and so let's dig into that more what is it what does it mean when something means nothing but can indicate to your peers that you're a part of the group is that what kids are doing they're kind of emphasizing that they're not the teachers that they're not an older generation that they kind of get it and by using this phrase they kind of solidify their position within their group
Yeah, that's, I think, a pretty accurate way of saying it.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:03–1:16
2
What is 'slanguage' and how does it relate to group identity?
1:16–1:53
3
Why do kids use phrases like '6-7' if they mean nothing?
1:53–4:13
4
How does social meaning play a role in language use?
4:13–6:56
5
What examples illustrate the use of '6-7' among adolescents?
6:56–17:37
Speakers
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