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An eighth-grade girl counts off the languages of which she has some knowledge: "I speak English, Spanish, French, Italian..."
Her boyfriend smiles and looks up from the desk where he rests his head. "Yeah?"
"You know it!"
He is not finished: "Yeah? You speak Ghetto?"
She isn't finished, either: "I'm speaking to you, ain't I?"

Ghetto, the language of Over There. I am learning to understand the speak if not speak the speak, one word at a time. Today's word is Word. In the beginning was the Word. Much later, the Word was made flesh. And the word is forever. In the ghetto, as in the church, the word is everything:

1. Word: "Hello."
2. Word: "I agree."
3. Word: "I am favorably impressed."
4. Word: "Really?"
5. Word: "I am indifferent."
6. Word: "I approve."
7. Word: "Hell, yes."
8. Word: "Promise of Truth."
9. Word: "You can say that again."
10. Word: "You're not kidding."
11. Word: "Absolute Truth."
12. Word: "Word of God."
13. Word: "Yes."

Thank you, Urban Dictionary, for leading me out of the linguistic wilderness. Word up.

Thursday Thirteen