student asking question

Why's he saying "dog?" What's that mean and when's it used?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Here, "dog" does not refer to an animal. It's actually a way to address a friend! I'd say it's considered a part of African-American Vernacular slang, and it's a very informal way of addressing someone. Ex: Nah, dawg. I didn't see her. => "dog" is sometimes spelled as "dawg" in this context. Ex: What's up, dog? I ain't seen you in ages.

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