Is the word gotten slang or proper?

"Gotten" is considered proper English, though it's not as common in modern speech as "got".

Here's the breakdown:

* "Gotten" is the past participle of the verb "to get". It's used in the perfect tenses (e.g., "I have gotten a new car").

* "Got" is often used interchangeably with "gotten" in the perfect tenses, especially in informal speech.

It's technically correct to use "gotten" in most cases, but "got" is more common in everyday conversation.

Here's an example:

* Formal: "I have gotten a new job."

* Informal: "I have got a new job."

Both are grammatically correct, but the first sentence sounds more formal.

So, while "gotten" isn't slang, it's considered more formal and less common in everyday speech than "got."