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.
Origins
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
, meaning £500, and
, meaning £25, are believed to have come from the old Indian
rupee banknotes, which used to feature images of those animals. Another money slang word,
, which means £1, is thought to be connected to the American
.
, which describes an unspecified amount of money, may come from the
Romany word for coal,
wanger. 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 Jamaican origin, their use in text messages as easier-to-key options to "that" and "there/their" cement them as slang in common usage.
The large number of migrant 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, Indian 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.
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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.
Category:Culture in London
Category:British slang
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