The writer also gets another reference from www.london.allinfo- about.com
. In this article, the writer gets information that when we use this slang in the conversation, we must know when we use the full phrase and when we just
use the last phrase. You have to know, though, when to use the whole phrase and when to
abbreviate. Another example: Would you Adam and Eve it? I was on me Jack Jones when I saw me old china half inching a whistle from the
market. Well, I aint no grass and hes borassic, so I kept me north and south shut. Translation:Would you believe it? I was on my own when I
saw my old mate friend pinching stealing a suit from the market. Well, Im not a nark informer and hes skint got no money, hard up so
I kept my mouth shut. http:london.allinfo-about.comfeaturesslang.html Sept 1, 2012
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Rhyming Slang
According to Encyclopedia, the theory of cockney rhyming slang is, Cockney rhyming slang is an unique example of a highly
developed set of codes used by a particular speech community, the Cockneys, devised on the basis of disguise mechanisms. It uses
witty and ingenious coded formulas to refer to objects of affection and
hostility as
well as
taboo topics.
http:encyclopedia.jrank.orgarticlespages793Rhyming- Slang.html. March 3, 2010.
By this theory, reader can sum up that cockney rhyming slang is unique and secret language which is used as secret code to communicate in the
members of certain communities. In other words, cockney rhyming slang cannot be used by people outside the community.
According to A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang 2010, the term „cockney‟ definitely meant someone who was born under the sound of
the Bow Bells of St Mary-le-Bow Church in Cheapside, London, in the road from St. Paul‟s Cathedral. In the past, all of the city of London would have
been within that sound. The first development of rhyming slang started from the late 18
th
century and the early 19
th
century. There are no exact reasons why it is started but the most popular theories, that the first development of this
language is only for a good-humored joking by Cockneys so that outsiders such as the gangs of Irish navies working on canal and railway construction
will not understand. Another theory, Cockney was being used by thieves and criminals to
communicate in public without being understood by outsiders. The last theory is because of the development of this language by an oppressed minority as a
secret language and a defense to give them a bit more inner strength 2010: 3- 4.
2. Theory of Sociolinguistics
In the book An Introduction to Sociolinguistics 1992, Janet Holmes says that sociolinguistics is a study which deals with language and society.
Here, the using of the language is influenced by social factors and social dimensions, such as participant, social setting, topic of discussion, function of
the interaction, social distance, status scale, and formality.
According to Gumperz 1971, p.223 in the book An Introduction to Sociolinguistics
, sociolinguistics is an attempt to find correlations between social structure and linguistic structure and to observe any changes that occur. Social
structure itself may be measured by reference to such factors as social class and educational background; we can then try to relate verbal behavior and
performance to these factors. The most important thing of sociolinguistics lays on the role of social dialect which is perform by speakers in a certain area as it is
clearly stated from this quotation : The bulk of sociolinguistic enquiry falls under the heading of
performance, since it deliberately highlights the great heterogeneity within peoples speech. For example, the differences between speakers
caused by dialectal variation are compounded by variation within the speech of a single person, as with the switch from formal to informal
styles,
according to
the social
context http:www.encyclopedia69.comengdsociolinguisticssociolinguisti
cs.htm. March 5, 2010.
Basically, the scope of this study is Sociolinguistics. It is the study of relationship between language and society. It explains why people speak
differently in different social contexts. It also identifies the social functions of language. In sociolinguistics, the way people use language in different social
contexts can provide huge information about the way language works, as well as about the social relationships in a community. We can also know why men and
women talk differently and why women tend to be more related to the word gossip than men. Actually, in all conversations people choose their words
carefully according to social factors and social dimensions or in other words
