Multicultural London English

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Presentation Report This report will focus on a spoken dialect of English, known as ‘Multicultural London English’, that, as a rising phenomenon, is becoming increasingly common in and around London. The report will include the historical background of the dialect, its phonological differences, and its variation from Standard English with regards to grammar and vocabulary, as well as trying to ascertain attitudes towards the variety. The people living in London speak in a wide array of accents and dialects as a direct result of the city’s multicultural population. Whilst the traditional London accent has always been associated with the Cockney accent, it bears many similarities with accents from the South-East of England. However, today the accent of London is not representative of any specific form of speaking. David William (2010) says that it is widespread for Londoners under the age of 30 to speak an accent which is a “fusion of Cockney, Received Pronunciation, and a variety of accents from different ethnic groups, especially Caribbean”. This hybrid that they speak is known as Multicultural London English (MLE). Multicultural London English, or ‘Jafaican’ as it is colloquially known, is a relatively recent phenomenon. It emerged in the late twentieth century which is why it is considered to be a ‘young’ dialect. It integrates many elements of Caribbean English as well as other ‘non-native’ influences. Although it is normally associated to Britons of African descent, the dialect is spoken by inner-city Londoners from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Alongside Caribbean English, other ethnic influences that contribute to the dialect range from West African to Middle Eastern and to South Asia as well. David William (2010) makes the observation that MLE has come from the English that is generally spoken by black, and other non-white immigrants combined with

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