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As the name suggests, British slang is commonly found all over England. Although, it is not used in Scotland, Ireland or
Wales, who all have their own slang.
However, although most British people use the same slang, most major cities contain different accents, so the pronunciation of certain words changes.

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The most common reason for using this language is to shorten certain sentences and to get a message across quickly, usually by using abbreviations, and for talking quickly in public.
British slang is used in face-to-face situations, texting and email.
The most common situation on the net for this slang to occur is on
MSN and social networking sites.
However, newer British slang is only commonly heard from teenagers, it is not used in formal letters or on resumes for example, because it could be seen as inappropriate, unacceptable and rude.
The most common medium used for British slang is voice.

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“Stick a pony in me pocket” – Opening credits from ‘Only Fools and Horses’, means “give me 25 pounds”, it was a common phrase at that time (80’s)
“Feel like Bangers and Mash?” –Would only be found in food magazines/ adverts on TV, means “Feel like Sausages and Mash
Potatoes?”
“I’m feeling a bit dicky, twit” –Would be found in comics throughout England, means “I’m feeling a bit unwell, idiot”
“Gimme some dosh you geezer” – Could possibly be found in a comic representing a robbery, means “Give me some money, old man”
“Come and take a gander at the Eiffel Tower!” – Advert for a trip to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, means “Come and take a look at the Eiffel Tower”

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Cockney Rhyming Slang originated in the East End of
London. Some slang expressions have left London and are in popular use throughout the rest of Britain.
Globally, British and Cockney slang is not very popular, because the slang is overruled by another countries slang.
“Rhyming Slang phrases are derived from taking an expression which rhymes with a word and then using that expression instead of the word.”
Modern Cockney slang today tends to only rhyme words with the names of celebrities or famous people, simply because it is easier for people to relate to.

English
Feet
Teeth
Legs
Eyes
Arms
Hair
Head
Face
Mouth
Rhymes With
Plates of meat
Hampstead Heeth
Scotch Eggs
Mince Pies
Chalk Farms
Barnet Fair
Loaf of bread
Boat race
North and South
Cockney
Plates
Hampsteads
Scotches
Minces
Chalk Farms
Barnet
Loaf
Boat race
North and South

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“See you later, alligator” – “See you later”
“Pass the army, will you?” – “Pass the gravy, will you?”
“The trouble’s been shopping again” – “The wife’s been shopping again”
“She’s a bit daffy” – “She’s a bit silly”
“Use your crust, lad” – “Use your head, lad”
“Stick it up your Khyber” – “Stick it up your arse”
“What beautiful minces” – “What beautiful eyes”
“I can smell a raspberry” – “I can smell a fart”
“Where’s my weasel?” – “Where’s my coat?”
“Could you lend me an oxford?” – “Could lend me a dollar?”

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In 2010, the BBC did a test on a group of teenagers to study the differences of how teenagers speak in different parts of the UK.
They gave a simple phrase to all the teenagers and told them to convert it into their own slang.
 The phrase was:
“John's girlfriend is really pretty. But she got mad with him the other day because he wanted to hang out with his friends rather than take her to the cinema. She got really angry and stormed off. It was very funny.”¹
¹Say what? A parents' guide to UK teenage slang, BBC News, viewed 25 th May 2011<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8551273.stm>
Continued on next slide…

 A person from Swansea, Wales said this:
Got mad
Girlfriend
Attractive
Left her
“John's missus is flat out bangin'. But she was tampin' the other day
'cause he bombed her out for the boys instead of going to the cinema.
She... started mouthing. It was hilarious.”
Shouting, abusing

Girl
Because
 A person from Bellshill, Lanarkshire said this:
Pretty, Attractive
Was
At him
“John's burd is well stunnin'. She wis pure mental wae 'um the other day cos he wantit tae hing aboot wi 'is pals 'n no take hur tae the Showcase.
She took a hissy 'n bolted. It wis well funny.”
Wanted to
Her to
Got angry
Ran away
Was very
Hang about with his And not
 Converted:
“Johns girl is really stunning. She went mental at him the other day because he wanted to hang around with his pals and not take her to the cinema.
She got really angry and ran away. It was really funny.”

 A person from Londonderry, Northern Ireland said this:
Very stunning Angry
"John's girlfriend is pure stunnin'. But she was ragin' cos he dogged her out of it to got to the pictures with his muckers. She pure went into one and booted. It was some craic."
Walked/Ran away
Good fun
Friends
Left her
 Converted:
“John’s girlfriend is very stunning, but she was angry because he left her to go to the pictures with his friends. She went extremely mad and walked away. It was good fun.”

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British Slang changes in different parts of England, each County has it’s own unique accent and expression for slang.
The most common group to use British slang are teenagers.
Usually, teenagers invent most of the newer slang, such as Chav
(an aggressive, unemployed ‘low-life’) and Sick (very good).
Whereas older generations stick to the older slang, such as Bob’s
Your Uncle and Taking the Mick (Mickey). Because of this, different generation occasionally struggle to communicate with each other.
Moreover, this can exclude certain groups because they do not know the slang used by other groups/generations.

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The downside to British slang is it is very hard to understand for anyone away from that particular area where the slang is spoken. For example, Londoners say certain phrases such as
“I’m going out for ruby Murray” (which means going out for a
curry), whereas other areas would say “I’m going out for a
chinky” (which means Chinese)
Accent’s and pronunciation affect communication dramatically, certain towns and areas drop and add certain letters, like “innit” which means “isn’t it”, but they dropped the ‘s’ and ‘t’ and added a ‘n’.

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British slang is only used, as the name suggests, in Britain.
Typically, when a individual or family leave England, they adapt to the slang of the local place but the accent may stay the same.
Because of this, British slang typically only stays in England.

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British slang has derived from Elizabethan times in (1558), and around Shakespeare's lifetime. However, over time words have gradually been made simpler and easier to say (because human’s got lazy).
Even simple words like ‘twas’, which nows means ‘it was’ have changed slowly over time.
A word that has been shortened slightly is ‘Give me leave to’, which now means ‘allow me to’.

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With British Slang, different words are used depending on the place they are said or placed. For example, a word such as geezer wouldn’t be said by a grandchild to their grandfather.
It would be seen as rude or offensive, whereas it may be used in a comic because it could be seen as a joke, it’s in a different context.
Throughout this PowerPoint, I have learnt how a variety of different words can be misinterpreted if they are taking out of context.

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Over the course of researching British slang, I have come to learn more words and phrases than I knew before, and, common words like ‘chav, bangers and dosh’ I had heard plenty of times before.
It has also showed me how different British slang has become overtime, and how as the slang is passed through different generations, the words are swapped, shortened and muddled up to produce something new for everyone to start saying.
Cockney Rhyming slang surprised me the most because of how unfamiliar it was to me and how peculiar it was.

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British Slang Words, Essortment, viewed 19 th May, 2011
<http://www.essortment.com/british-slang-words-40442.html>
Barrow, M, British Sayings/Idioms, UK, viewed 22 nd May, 2011
<http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/sayings.html>
Google Definition, Chav, viewed 25 th May, 2011
<http://www.google.com.au/search?q=chav+definition&rls=com.microsoft:*&ie=U
TF-8&oe=UTF
8&startIndex=&startPage=1&safe=active&redir_esc=&ei=ONHVTYCQGITQrQfN4o
HzBQ>
Say what? A parents' guide to UK teenage slang, BBC News, viewed 25 th May
2011<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8551273.stm>
What is cockney rhyming slang? Cockney Rhyming Slang, viewed 25 th May,
2011<http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/cockney_rhyming_slang>
Hints and Things, Examples of sentence using cockney rhyming slang, viewed 2 nd June, 2011
<http://www.hintsandthings.com/library/rhymingslang3.htm>
Just So Me Lyrics, Only Falls and Horses Theme Tune Lyrics, viewed June 2 nd , 2011 http://www.justsomelyrics.com/761972/Only-Fools-and-Horses-Theme-Tune-Lyrics