Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

I am a rural resident who goes to a very urban school, I started ending my sentences with the word “word”, in an attempt at affectionate annoyance to some of my more urban classmates. Ironically the habit caught on and more and more students started to use this term in this manor. Through time we started to replace other words and ultimate entire sentences with this word. We became amused but the fact that certain words, can mean pretty much anything by just changing the inflection in which you pronounce it. Another common one we found is the word dude. It is even referred to in a movie (“Baseket Ball”), where the stars have a heated argument using only the word dude. This spawned a conversation where a very interesting question was emerged. Is their a name for these terms and are there others? I pride myself on my advanced vocabulary but think sometimes the most simple terms can get overlooked. Any input on this would be appreciated.