London slang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
London slang is slang that is used in London. Cockney rhyming slang is the best known form of London slang, but London has a very diverse population and there are many sources and styles of slang. An example is Jamaican patois.
One problem with identifying what is specifically London slang is that the dominant cultural position that London has within the United Kingdom causes London slang to be exported to the rest of the UK, leading to London slang becoming general United Kingdom English slang.[citation needed]
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[edit] Sources of London slang
London slang is a mixture from many sources, reflecting the diverse cultural makeup of the city's population.
In 21st century South London, Jamaican patois is the source of words such as "dat" and "dere".
Many London slang words and phrases are believed to have been imported from Indian languages by servicemen in the 19th century. London slang words for money such as "monkey" (£500) and "pony" (£25) are believed to have come from the Indian rupee banknote, which features pictures of such animals.
Another money slang word, "nicker" (£1) is hypothesised to be connected to the U.S. "nickel". Conversely, "wonga" is believed to have come from Romany.
[edit] Modern urban slang in London
In August 2005, Professor Sue Fox from Queen Mary University concluded that Cockney rhyming slang was dying out. She says that young children in London are being influenced by words and phrases brought in from outside cultures, primarily Bangladeshi. This is primarily true, as many teenagers from London are incorporating new words into their increasing vocabularies, many of which borrowed from outside the UK. The emerging dialect has been given the name Jafaican. This has been followed up by several publications about the changing faces of youth dialect/sociolect in several national newspapers. These include The Times and The Guardian.
[edit] Examples of London slang
| Slang | Definition |
|---|---|
| Brass | Rubbish/Bad or Prostitute |
| Blower | Telephone |
| Peng/Choong | Sexually attractive |
| Yard/Manor | Home |
| Filth/Coppers/Old Bill/Boy Dem/Pigs/Feds/5 o's/po pos/The Fuzz | Police |
| Gash/Pum pum/Wifey/ | Girl/Vagina/Girlfriend (sometimes derogatory) |
| Snake/ | An informer |
| Sucked/Jacked (When referring to items) | Stolen. "Got me some hookie gold chains" |
| Jam/Jam your hype | Calm down |
| P's | pound coin(s) |
| On your J's (from the Cockney rhyming slang "on your Jack Jones") | On your own |
[edit] References
- London slang. Retrieved on April 24, 2006.
- Zachary Rodgers. "British Airways Campaign Teaches London Slang", ClickZ, 2005-05-05.
- "Don't Be "Naff" -- Learn To Use "Chuffed," "Laughing Gear" "Half Four" and Dozens of Other British Slang Words Before Your London Holiday", 2005-05-04.
- Vicky Wilks. "'Yo bro, nice bling, innit'", South London Press, 2004-07-09.
- money slang history. Retrieved on July 25, 2005.
- London slang. FF5 Worldbook. Retrieved on July 25, 2005.
[edit] See also
- Some places in London with slang names:
- London slang in popular culture
- Minder — a television series named with the London slang for a bodyguard
- The Sweeney — a television series named with the London slang (specifically Cockney rhyming slang) for the Flying Squad (Sweeney Todd → Flying Squad)
- The Bill — a television series named with the London slang for the Metropolitan Police Service
- Some things with London slang names:
- "The Addicks" — a football club nicknamed with the London slang for haddock
