“Dude” has never had a negative tone. (Class of 2017, #5)
I’m puzzled by this one. What does the word “tone” mean here?
Connotation? Voice modulation? Attitude?
If the meaning is that the word “dude” has lost its negative connotation, i.e., “a citified dandy”, that happened in the 1960s or 1970s.
If the meaning is that “dude” can’t be used to express a negative attitude, that’s clearly wrong. “Dude” can be used to signal disagreement, incredulity, disgust and other negative sentiments. The linguist Scott Kiesling calls this usage of dude a “confrontational stance attenuator.” Budweiser ran a series of commercials illustrating it in 2008.
In any case, this item contributes nothing to understanding the Class of 2017.
Further reading:
Kiesling, Scott F. 2004. “Dude.” American Speech 79(3):281-305.
Peters, Mark. 2010. “The History of Dude.” Good (April 24).
Swansburg, John. 2008. “Dude! How Great Are Those New Bud Light Ads?” Slate (Jan. 28).