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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}
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.
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 East London, as well as most of 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.
Example of London Slang
| Slang | Definition |
|---|---|
| Banged up | Beaten up. Sometimes used to refer to being put in prison |
| Drum/Gaff | Home |
| Filth/Coppers/Cozzers/Rozzers/Old Bill | Police |
| Grass | An informer/Nark |
| Hookie/Moody (When referring to items) | Stolen |
| Micky Mouse (when referring to money) | Fake |
| On your J's (from the cockney rhyming slang on your Jack Jones) | On your own |
| Porkies/Porkers (from the cockney rhyming slang Pork Pies – lies) | Lies |
| Rabbit (from the cockney rhyming slang Rabbit and Pork - talk) | To Talk excessively ("Stop rabbitin'") |
| Readies | Paper money, such as a £5 pount note, £10 note etc. |
References
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
External links
"London slang"