London slang
Encyclopedia
London slang is a mixture of words and phrases from around the globe. It reflects the diverse ethnic and cultural makeup of the city's population. Because London
occupies such a dominant economic position in the United Kingdom
, slang originally unique to the city has spread across the UK
. Conversely, slang from outside London has migrated in along with people seeking work in the capital. Cockney rhyming slang
is probably the best known form of London slang.
can infiltrate most any element of daily life. Take, for example, money. Much of the London slang about money is believed to have been imported from India
by returning servicemen during the nineteenth century. The terms monkey, meaning £500, and pony, meaning £25, are believed to have come from old Indian rupee
banknotes, which used to feature images of those animals. Another money slang word, nicker, which means £1, is thought to be connected to the American nickel. Wonga, which describes an unspecified amount of money, may come from the Romany word for coal, wanger.
concluded that Cockney rhyming slang was dying out because children in London are being overwhelmed by words and phrases from outside cultures. Teenagers especially are incorporating into their vocabularies new words borrowed from outside the UK. This new slang is also influenced by new technologies, especially mobile phone SMS
(short message service) or text messages. While "dat" and "dere" may be of Afro-Caribbean origin along with many other terms, their use in text messages as easier-to-key options to "that" and "there/their" cement them as slang in common usage. It is also factual that there are various forms of "London Slang". Slangs spoken in Black areas such as Tottenham, Brixton, Peckham, Hackney or Edmonton incorporate many other terms which other areas do not use or often catch onto much later. For example terms such as:
"Cah" = Because - e.g. "Cah di man dem wanna fly up North today." = "Because all of us want to go to North London tonight."
"Manna" = Manna straight rudebwoy you know star = "I'm a rudeboy."
These and many more are relative mainly to the Afro-Caribbean Community as a result of pop culture and have spread out into Predominantly Caucasian/Asian areas over time. It is also factual that many dialects are not exactly the same. For example, in South London
terms such as "Wallad" (meaning fool) have become popular in Brixton
and Peckham
as a result of people converting to Islam. As a result the terms have been mixed in with standard English and cockney creating a new yet varying dialect across the city.
The dialects have been popularized in pop culture by groups such as N-dubz
. Although mainly from Greece and living in Camden
- they make a style of music using slang/dialect which revolves around black culture.
The large number of immigrant communities and relatively high level of ethnic integration mean that various pronunciations, words and phrases have been fused from a variety of sources to create modern London slang. The emerging dialect draws influences from Jamaican English
and West African speech. This form of slang was born and is mainly spoken in Inner London
and has been popularised by Grime
, a sub-genre of rap music that began in the estates
of that area. Although the slang has been highly influenced by immigrant communities, a large number of teenagers of all ethnicities in London have adopted it. Popular slang words include sick, bare, alie, skeen, long, wallad, peak, sket
, wagwan, wavey, badman, jezzy, ting, bossman, safe, spliff.
Other examples, include calling the police 'feds'; this probably comes from the shortened term used for federal agents (FBI) in the USA. Also, shortening the names of places, so for instance the West End becomes 'West', or Kentish Town becomes 'Kentish', is popular in everyday street English.
An example in the form of a sentence would be that the phrase, "Let's go to the West End tonight, you guys, and let us rob some stuff," becomes, "You man, come we go West tonight and rip bare shit." This is an example of a relatively standard English sentence, spoken by the average Inner London youngster.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
occupies such a dominant economic position in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, slang originally unique to the city has spread across the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Conversely, slang from outside London has migrated in along with people seeking work in the capital. Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of phrase construction in the English language and is especially prevalent in dialectal British English from the East End of London; hence the alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang...
is probably the best known form of London slang.
Origins
SlangSlang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
can infiltrate most any element of daily life. Take, for example, money. Much of the London slang about money is believed to have been imported from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
by returning servicemen during the nineteenth century. The terms monkey, meaning £500, and pony, meaning £25, are believed to have come from old Indian rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
banknotes, which used to feature images of those animals. Another money slang word, nicker, which means £1, is thought to be connected to the American nickel. Wonga, which describes an unspecified amount of money, may come from the Romany word for coal, wanger.
Modern influences
In 2005, Professor Sue Fox from Queen Mary, University of LondonQueen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
concluded that Cockney rhyming slang was dying out because children in London are being overwhelmed by words and phrases from outside cultures. Teenagers especially are incorporating into their vocabularies new words borrowed from outside the UK. This new slang is also influenced by new technologies, especially mobile phone SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
(short message service) or text messages. While "dat" and "dere" may be of Afro-Caribbean origin along with many other terms, their use in text messages as easier-to-key options to "that" and "there/their" cement them as slang in common usage. It is also factual that there are various forms of "London Slang". Slangs spoken in Black areas such as Tottenham, Brixton, Peckham, Hackney or Edmonton incorporate many other terms which other areas do not use or often catch onto much later. For example terms such as:
"Cah" = Because - e.g. "Cah di man dem wanna fly up North today." = "Because all of us want to go to North London tonight."
"Manna" = Manna straight rudebwoy you know star = "I'm a rudeboy."
These and many more are relative mainly to the Afro-Caribbean Community as a result of pop culture and have spread out into Predominantly Caucasian/Asian areas over time. It is also factual that many dialects are not exactly the same. For example, in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
terms such as "Wallad" (meaning fool) have become popular in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
and Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
as a result of people converting to Islam. As a result the terms have been mixed in with standard English and cockney creating a new yet varying dialect across the city.
The dialects have been popularized in pop culture by groups such as N-dubz
N-Dubz
N-Dubz are a British hip hop group from Camden Town, London. The group consists of members Dappy, Tulisa Contostavlos and Fazer.N-Dubz were previously signed to Polydor Records before joining All Around the World Records...
. Although mainly from Greece and living in Camden
Camden
- Australia :* Camden, New South Wales** Camden Council ** Electoral district of Camden- England :* London Borough of Camden** Camden Town, an area in the borough* Camden School for Girls- United States :* Camden, Alabama* Camden, Arkansas...
- they make a style of music using slang/dialect which revolves around black culture.
The large number of immigrant communities and relatively high level of ethnic integration mean that various pronunciations, words and phrases have been fused from a variety of sources to create modern London slang. The emerging dialect draws influences from Jamaican English
Jamaican English
Jamaican English or Jamaican Standard English is a dialect of English spoken in Jamaica. It melds parts of both American English and British English dialects, along with many aspects of Irish intonation...
and West African speech. This form of slang was born and is mainly spoken in Inner London
Inner London
Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. The terms Inner London and Central...
and has been popularised by Grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
, a sub-genre of rap music that began in the estates
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
of that area. Although the slang has been highly influenced by immigrant communities, a large number of teenagers of all ethnicities in London have adopted it. Popular slang words include sick, bare, alie, skeen, long, wallad, peak, sket
Sket
Sket is an urban retribution thriller film set in East London from the makers of Shank and Anuvahood. Starring Lily Loveless, Aimee Kelly, Adelayo Adedayo, Emma Hartley-Miller, Slaine Kelly, Varada Sethu, Ashley Walters and Richie Campbell as the lead stars...
, wagwan, wavey, badman, jezzy, ting, bossman, safe, spliff.
Other examples, include calling the police 'feds'; this probably comes from the shortened term used for federal agents (FBI) in the USA. Also, shortening the names of places, so for instance the West End becomes 'West', or Kentish Town becomes 'Kentish', is popular in everyday street English.
An example in the form of a sentence would be that the phrase, "Let's go to the West End tonight, you guys, and let us rob some stuff," becomes, "You man, come we go West tonight and rip bare shit." This is an example of a relatively standard English sentence, spoken by the average Inner London youngster.
See also
- Multicultural London English
- Slang terms for British banknotes and coins
External links
- The London Slang Dictionary Project - A dictionary written by east and west London teenagers. Includes many terms that cannot be substantiated.
- The London Text and MSN Dictionary- A dictionary for mobile phone text messages and instant messagingInstant messagingInstant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
written by west London teenagers.