London slang

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 and Multicultural London English is probably the best known form of London slang.

Origins

Slang can infiltrate almost any element of daily life. For instance, 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 by some to have come from old Indian rupee banknotes, which it is asserted used to feature images of those animals. Banknotes with such denominations were issued by Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay and Bank of Madras and some other private banks between 1810 and 1860. However the true origin of these terms is uncertain. 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, wanga.

Modern influences

In 2005, Professor Sue Fox from Queen Mary, 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 (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 multi-cultural areas of London such as Brixton, Lewisham, Peckham, Harlesden, Stonebridge, Hackney, Tottenham, Enfield etc. incorporate many other terms which other areas do not use or often catch onto much later. For example, terms such as: "Cah" = 'Cos = Because - e.g. "Cah di mandem wanna fly up North today." = "Because all of us want to go to North London tonight."

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 other Caribbean speech. This form of slang is mainly spoken in Inner London, and most areas of Outer London except for those districts populated predominantly by white people such as Uxbridge. London slang has been popularised by UK Rap music. Although the slang has been highly influenced by black immigrant communities, a large number of teenagers of all ethnicities in London have adopted it. Popular slang words include:

Adjectives

• "Bait" (obvious/well known)
• "Bare" [bɛː/ɓɛː (latter for further emphasis)] (Generic intensifier)
• "Bungle" (ugly)
• "Butters" (ugly)
• "Clapped" (ugly)
• "Peak" [piːk] (Serious/unfortunate)
• "Peng" (Attractive)

Interjections

• "Dun know" ("of course", also an expression of approval)
• "Oh my days!" [ou ma deiz] (A generalised exclamation)
• "Safe" [sɛif] (Expression of approval and also used as a parting phrase)
• "Rahtid" (often shortened to "Rah" - exclamation of disbelief at the enormity of someone's action or statement)

Pronouns

• "Man" [mæn] (First-person singular)
• "Them Man" [mæn] (They)
• "Us Man" [mæn] (We)

Nouns

• "Akh" (an endearing term, derived from the Arabic word for brother)
• "Bruv" (an endearing term used for a close friend or brother)
• "Creps" (shoes)
• "Cunch" (the countryside or any town outside London)
• "Ends" [ɛnz] (Neighbourhood)
• "Fam" [fæm] (Short for "family", can refer to "friend")
• "Myth" (used when something is untrue or not going to happen)
• "Mandem" (Group of males)
• "OT" (out of town)
• "Paigon" [peɪɡən] (A modified spelling of English word "pagan", to refer to a fake friend/enemy)
• "Roadman" (a youth who spends a lot of his time on the streets, can also be used as a general slur)
• "Sket" (a promiscuous female)
• "Ting" (a thing or a situation)
• "Wasteman" (A worthless/useless person)
• "Yard" [jaːd] (House)
• "Yat" (girl or woman)

Verbs

• "Allow" (to urge someone else to exercise self-restraint, or as an indication one foregoes or dismisses something, as in "Allow dat": that's not needed or is no longer relevant)
• "Buss" (to wear something or to introduce someone to something)
• "Bun" (to destroy, from to burn)
• "Cut" (to leave)
• "Jerk" (to rob)
• "Jook" (to have sex with - as a penetrating partner - or stab)
• "Link" (to meet up with)
• "Rinse" (to use fully)

See also

• Multicultural London English
• British slang terms for money

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 messaging written by west London teenagers.