Prompt Cast
The Origins and Popularity of Cockney Rhyming Slang
TLDR Cockney Rhyming Slang, associated with the lower and working class in Britain, is a confounding and playful language that allows people to speak like their in-group. Despite its lack of consistency and clear connections to original meanings, it remains popular due to its unique Britishness and code-like quality.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Cockney Rhyming Slang is often used in movies to portray British criminals as slick and cool.
04:46
Cockney Rhyming Slang is associated with the lower class and working class in Britain, and it allows people to speak like their in-group and differentiate themselves.
09:32
Cockney Rhyming Slang is confounding because the slang terms often have no clear connection to their original meanings, and the slang is not consistently documented or standardized.
14:11
Cockney Rhyming Slang often involves slang terms that have no clear connection to their original meanings, but there are some rare cases where there is a connection, such as the term "on your Todd" meaning "on your own" being derived from the name of a 19th-century horse jockey named Todd Sloan.
18:51
Cockney Rhyming Slang often involves slang terms that have no clear connection to their original meanings, but there are some rare cases where there is a connection, such as the term "raspberry" meaning "fart" and "Aristotle" meaning "bottle" in Cockney Rhyming Slang.
23:32
Cockney Rhyming Slang originated in a one and a half mile area of London and was likely created by traveling salesmen known as Shaunters and Paters who spoke in singing rhyming language.
27:58
Cockney Rhyming Slang likely originated from Shaunters and Paters who sang and sold penny ballads, but it was not necessarily intended as a coded language and it goes against how slang typically develops.
32:23
Cockney Rhyming Slang originated in the cheap side area of London, specifically in a place called Seven Dials, and it was likely developed by patters and chanteurs, not necessarily the cockney people themselves.
37:09
Cockney rhyming slang has remained popular over the years due to its fun and playful nature, its code-like quality, and its unique Britishness.
41:56
Cockney Rhyming Slang is still alive and well, with a 2012 survey showing that 60% of respondents believe it is not dying, and it continues to be understood by most Britons.
Categories:
Society & Culture
