Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Understandable English Podcast.
My name is Oliver and today's episode we are going to dive into, we're going to discuss and explore the fascinating world of English slang.
So we're going to look at everything from Cockney rhyming slang to modern slang.
I'm going to teach you some interesting and common phrases that you might hear in everyday conversations.
So let's get started.
I'll also, sorry, I'll also explain what slang is and why it's important.
Okay, so slang is informal language or casual language, which can often have special meanings.
Almost every country has its own slang within each language, and this can be different from place to place, an area to area, even different types of people.
And it can be used by certain groups of people to create a sense of identity or to keep conversations a little bit more casual or fun.
So that is basically slang.
And in the UK, I would say slang varies based.
So it's different based on region or area, even by age group.
So younger people have different slang and older people can often have different slang words too.
And even it's different by social circles.
So there can be new words, old words and even new words which used to be old words, that have new meanings.
So that might sound a little bit complicated, but we will look at some slang examples a little bit later.
But you might be wondering, hmm, Oliver, why do I need to understand slang?
Shouldn't I just learn the most common words, the normal words in the dictionary?
Well understanding slang will help you to better understand native speakers and movies, TV shows and cultural references.
So really I'm not saying that you should use slang or speak with slang, but you should be able to understand it, because there are some words that people here really use a lot.
And if you don't know those slang words because they don't teach them in a textbook or I don't know, a course, you could arrive in the UK and find out what There's all these strange words that I don't know, and they seem to be very common.
So that's why I think it's important to learn some slang.
So to start with, I want to talk a little bit about Cockney rhyming slang.
So I've had some students in the past that asked me about this because they've heard about this London slang called Cockney.
So it is quite famous, but not so common anymore.
And Cockney rhyming slang is a type of slang which came from the east end of London.
And it was known for kind of a playful use of rhyming.
So making words paired together that rhyme.
So for example, they might say apples and pears, which means stairs.
So they could say, I'm going up the apples.
That means they're going up the stairs, which is quite, quite strange.
Another example might be dog and bone, which means phone.
So give me a ring on the dog, which means call me on the phone.
Very strange and I wouldn't recommend you try to learn these.
I don't think I don't even understand Cockney rhyming slang.
And if I heard someone use it or speak this way, I would be so confused.
And today Cockney rhyming slang is very rare.
It's very uncommon.
And to be honest, I've never actually heard it in real life.
I've only seen it in or heard it in British films and TV shows.
And even then, I don't hear it so much.
It's not so common.
Okay, so that brings us on to the modern slang, or more common slang, that you will actually hear today.
I think slang is very common in the UK and we use it quite a lot, more than we often think.
For example, let's learn some words.
So the first one I will teach you is chuffed.
So C-H-U-F-F-E-D, chuffed.
And this means very pleased or happy.
For example, I'm chuffed with my new job means I'm very happy with my new job.
People love to say this word and I hear it all the time.
Another phrase that I actually use quite a lot is knackered.
So that's K-N-A-C-K-E-R-E-D with a silent K at the start, knackered.
And this means extremely tired.
If someone says I'm knackered, it means they're very tired.
I use this word a lot and I didn't really in the past even realize that it was slang.
I just heard it all the time.
Okay, the third word that I want to teach you is one which is commonly used across Europe and the US, but in the UK it means something different.
Well, it can mean the same, but also something different.
And I've talked about this before.
It is the phrase, cheers, cheers.
So cheers, while commonly used when we toast drinks.
So when we have a drink of alcohol in many countries, people say cheers and then they have a drink.
But in the UK, interestingly enough, it can also mean thank you or even goodbye.
You'll often hear people saying cheers whenever someone gives them something.
Cheers, mate.
Cheers, friend.
To say thank you.
So that's quite a common use.
I think it's quite different for other countries.
And, to be honest, in parts of the UK I hear cheers more often and it's more common than I hear thank you.
So that's something to keep in mind and to remember whenever you visit the UK.
So of course there are also idioms or phrases which are slang.
And these are kind of like slang phrases.
So you can learn some of those too, even just to understand.
But today I'm not going to teach you know loads and loads of slang words, but I will also talk about how best to learn and use slang.
To be honest, one of the best ways is just to Google or look up British slang or learn common British slang and you can look and read the most common phrases and what they mean.
But another great way is to watch British TV shows, movies and British podcasts.
So these are great ways of hearing and learning slang from context.
And then, when you hear these phrases and you don't understand, just Google them and find out what they mean.
It'll surprise you how much slang there actually is in British TV shows and movies.
It's virtually everywhere.
So yeah, do check it out.
But also do remember to use slang appropriately.
So a lot of slang words are rude or maybe too informal sometimes, and so, like any language, there are very negative or insulting, so offensive or bad, and slang words which people may be offended by or upset if you use them.
So do make sure to understand the context.
So when you can use it and how it's used before you use it, of course.
It's better to fully understand what you're saying than to just repeat it if you've heard it in a TV show.
So, to really sum up, there is so much slang in the English language.
It's very important to learn, in my opinion, if you visit the UK or you want to watch UK TV, movies.
And it's a great way of further understanding the culture as well.
So, I recommend to each and every one of you to learn some British or English slang.
There is different slang for the United States.
We also use some kind of American English slang in the UK too.
But it's important to study the slang of maybe the country that you're wanting to visit or move to.
So good luck and I hope that you enjoyed this podcast.
Cheers!
