Young Writers Society

Hey everyone!
so I decided to write a story set in London, England, and I need a bit of help with regular slang people use there. Do any of you know any? If you do, could you post it below? That would be seriously, seriously helpful!

xx
Scasha

Hello! This is one of the best sites I've seen for British/English slang: http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml There are many others out there of course, if you just google "British slang" or "English slang". I like this one because of the definitions, hehe. Some of them, however, aren't G, so be aware!

Sites like that are always good, but if you want to run it by someone before actually using it I would really suggest it and would be willing to help on that if you like, with what I can. Like in America, English slang found in dictionaries/websites/etc. isn't always commonly used like they would lead you to believe it is!

Good luck!

Pm me with phrases that you'd like in slang. I think one of the main things you need to know is when we drop letters.
These are pretty obvious, but...

Going to = gonna
You = ya
Bruv= brother/friend

You may find that there are a lot of swear words commonly used as well. Especially within teenage groups.

Ooooh, you may also want to know about 'ends' and 'postcodes'. They're important if you want to look at gangs or violence. Also, cockney rhyming slang.

All the best,

Alainna
xxx

I live in London so I can answer any question you have about slang. Hmm... I'll try and think of some...


Some Cockney Rhyming slang:

Apples and pears: Stairs
I can't remember any more but here are some more words of slang that are often heard in my school, (I don't use slang that much to be honest)

Hiya- Hi There
Peng: Good Looking
Fit: Good Looking
Skeen: Okay
Bird: Girlfriend (not very polite)
Hubby: Boyfriend or good friend that is a boy
Wifey: Best friend of the female gender
My older: Somone older than you that looks after you, similar to a mentor
My Younger: The person you mentor.
Reppin': Representing or 'bigging up' you'e country etc (I hate that expression)

If you're characters are of the working class or whatever its called then they are called 'Chavs' (this is a rude term, though. )

After each sentence, say 'Yeah?" or, ' ya know what I mean?" and say 'like' a lot.

Some other advice
Use swearwords (unless this is a book for minors) if they are teenagers.

Well, that's my two cents!

Swottielottie wrote:If you're characters are of the working class or whatever its called then they are called 'Chavs' (this is a rude term, though. )

I would dispute that - chavs are not exclusive to the working class.

I think some chavs are proud to be called that, you know. People do use 'like' a lot. Some other stuff:

Poof = homosexual (v. offensive)
Chav = Council House Adolescent Vermin (a folk etymology, according to Wikipedia)
Hoodie = Hooded teenager (derogatory, stereotypical)

If you are writing for regional accents, do your research carefully and don't spell out things phonetically too often: it distracts the reader. Try to replicate the rhythms and speech patterns like this:

"Sure, and I won't be having it, so. Your mam'll kill me if she finds out." (Northern, from Teach Yourself How to Write a Blockbuster.)

I agree, I go to a private school and there are still plenty of chav's there... you'd be surprised.

Also, I thought chav originated from Cheltenham Average, was that Cheltenham Ladies or Chelt College? Who knows...

Ah yes and 'like' should be used out of context, for example

"And I was like 'Yeah you should go and tell her'" Use 'like' instead of 'um' and feel free to use 'went' instead of said.

Sish x

Chavs hate being called chavs - believe you me. I've tried it, and they were not very happy. And yes, it isn't exclusively working class. As for that website? Very few of the words on there are actually used, in my opinion. Arse instead of ass is true. But...best of British? Belt up? The latter is usually only used in Scotland. :-/ I wouldn't use the site too much.

Also, don't forget the don't have to use slang just because they're in London. I only use a minimum amount of slang, but that might be because I'm a correctly spoken nerd

Yeah some of that stuff on the website is actually pretty accurate.

I'm from Liverpool so we have our own little private language going on here -_- like pyar and proper and lah. haha, not that anyone says lay much. I don't now much about London talk..

As a rule don't us cockney rhyming slang a lot though! People would use it.. as a joke maybe? Probably most people don't use slang a lot, and most people use some american slang anyway because it's cool to be like an american >.>

Maybe you should get some Eastenders on the internet, try searching it on yourtube, it's probably at least a little bit like how people really speak... probably the best way is to watch good English TV shows, Dr Who or The Mighty Boosh (that one has lots of slang in, but some of it's a bit weird. Vince says genious a lot and I've never heard anyone say that.. but yeah =D they're in London so maybe..).

If you post it here I'm sure all the english people will inform you if you've written something totally wrong!

Oh yeah, and people use "mate" a lot. E.g.: "Thanks, mate."

Cheers = thanks
Cheerio = goodbye.
Fag = cigarette (not to be confused with faggot)
'Doing it'/'Humping'/'Screwing' = having sex
Soz = sorry

Hope that helps.

Gahks

Frube!!

Kokobeans taught me that word.

Frube is actually what they call yogurt tubes, like gogurt and what not, but they also use it as a jokingly insulting term. He called me a frube once when I wouldn't go to bed at 2 in the morning. He also used it to insult my ex-boyfriend. So it can be insulting, or joking.



~Bella Bambina~

O'right love? 'av it - ere I'm the geezer of slang. pop ova' ter ma prof 'n giz a buzz eh? I'll set ya right

Love
Kris
x

Oh sorry! I wasn't trying to say that everyone in working class (whatever that is) is a chav! I was just told that. And I'm sure there are chavs in whatever class, but well... I was just trying to be helpful... but I guess I wasn't.

Swottielottie wrote:Oh sorry! I wasn't trying to say that everyone in working class (whatever that is) is a chav! I was just told that. And I'm sure there are chavs in whatever class, but well... I was just trying to be helpful... but I guess I wasn't.

Lol, don't worry about it. No harm done.