'How to Pay for a Baby' Language Analysis

In  'How to Pay for a Baby’, Kool A.D uses a colloquial sociolect that through its use of pop-culture slang, creates a cynical tone and establishes a particularly strong connection with millennial audiences who are inexperienced parents. This is apparent in the beginning of the article when A.D truthfully declares "I'mma kept it 100 with y'all". Straight away, the use of colloquialism and low diction establishes an informal relationship with the reader, warning him that the author will be straight forward when presenting his arguments. The jarring use of A.D's sociolect right at the start draws in the audience because it is unlikely for an author to open his piece with such blunt language. The cynical tone continues to be established when A.D rhetorically challenges the idea of money by devaluating it as "tiny pieces of paper”. This throws the reader off balance because their plausible views on money are being directly challenged. Later, when A.D declares the reader "must be out of [his] damn mind", A.D wants the reader to realize how naïve they are and on the wider context, how naïve they were when deciding to have a baby. This is accentuated by the use of colloquialism in “damn”. The use of slang and colloquialism is lastly seen in the closing paragraph where a clear connection with millennials is made. A.D suggests to "stop binge ordering Jordans off the internet" and to "hoordie" someone's Netflix. The use of internet jargon specifically, helps further foster a relationship with millennial readers because they are familiar with the terms. Thus, A.D's colloquial sociolect and diction establishes a strong connection with the reader, and because of the consequential humor and cynicism the reader is willing to listen to what A.D has to say. 

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