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https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/329120/what-is-the-meaning-of-like-mom-what-do-you-mean-i-cant-go-get-tacos-at-3-am

The quote is hardly proper English, it is a slang usage which doesn't follow grammar rules and practically its own freeform dialect. Should such a question be allowed, or should we close it as being off-topic for the site?

And if it is off-topic, what is the right close reason:

Proofreading questions are off-topic unless a specific source of concern in the text is clearly identified.

or

Blatantly off-topic (this question has nothing to do with English language and usage)

or is it better to redirect this to ELL?

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    That example is perfectly grammatical. I'd even say that it's Standard International English (I can't see any obvious regionalisms in it at least.)
    – curiousdannii
    Jun 1, 2016 at 9:53
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    Definitely better to redirect it to ELL, nor because it's slang or anything, but because the answer would be immediately obvious to any native speaker, which is the traditional dividing line between ELU and ELL (and the reason ELL was set up in the first place).
    – Dan Bron
    Jun 1, 2016 at 10:38
  • Slang and proper English, different subcultures and registers are equally discussable on ELU. Usually, to dispel any confusion, it'd be nice if it comes out in the discussion which variety or varieties are being discussed.
    – Mitch
    Jun 1, 2016 at 12:58
  • Please don't redirect questions like that one to ELL (although a nudge toward ELL in a comment is fine). With questions like this, we usually have to provide a lot of guidance to the learner, and the migration process adds confusion (especially when it comes to linking up their account to another SE site). It usually goes more smoothly if they ask their question on ELL instead of having it migrated there. If the question were better quality from the start (like this one ell.stackexchange.com/q/80700) it would be OK to migrate.
    – ColleenV
    Jun 2, 2016 at 18:37

1 Answer 1

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I would suggest that it falls under English Usage.

Usage is not always grammatical and can vary by location and generation of the speaker. Questions about slang are on-topic, provided of course they meet the usual quality criteria.

Your suggestion of proofreading is appropriate if the question were along the lines of "Have I used slang correctly in the following...".

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