Faithful followers will remember our London Talks stall at last year’s Festival of Communities at Queen Mary University, where we handed out hundreds of tiny badges with London slang words. As we were observing how much people enjoyed those words, discussed and rated them, and came up with more iconic dialect words and expressions CaitlinContinue reading “Get ready for REAL TALK East London merchandise!”
Author Archives: johannagerwin
The Modern Cockney Festival 2023
With the 3rd of March, the ‘Fird of the Fird’ or ‘Speak Cockney Day’, rapidly approaching, it is time for Andy Green and Saif Osmani to get ready for the next run of their Cockney Cultures events. Andy and Saif have been organising activities and talks around Cockney dialect and culture for several years withContinue reading “The Modern Cockney Festival 2023”
Coffee with @TheEastEndPoet
Last week I met with Chris Ross, a.k.a. @TheEastEndPoet on Twitter and Facebook. Chris is a born and bred Cockney, born in Mile End Hospital and raised in Roman Road. He is a retired telephone salesman, dad of one, granddad of six and great granddad of six. And he writes poetry – often about theContinue reading “Coffee with @TheEastEndPoet”
‘Black British English’ as a label for ‘Multicultural London English’
I was lucky to have caught Ife Thompson, a proud ‘Brixtonian’, last week. As a full-time criminal defence lawyer and community organiser, she is extremely busy. Ife is the founder and director of the charity Black Learning Achievement and Mental health (BLAM UK), which focuses on Black history, racial wellness and advocates against anti-blackness andContinue reading “‘Black British English’ as a label for ‘Multicultural London English’”
‘Actually quite a cool family tradition’
It’s a sunny October Sunday, when I meet a bunch of Pearly Kings and Queens on the steps of St. Martins-in-the-Field off Trafalgar Square, where the Pearly Association have gathered for their annual Harvest Festival. The Pearly Kings and Queens are traditionally associated with East End Cockneys, so I was interested to hear from youngerContinue reading “‘Actually quite a cool family tradition’”
East Ender with a ‘bookworm’ accent
I met Afroza on one of the recent hot summer days, but we stayed cool in a coffee shop basement. Afroza grew up in Bow in a large Bangladeshi family of eight siblings and now lives in Shoreditch with her family. Afroza would call her accent ‘a bit Cockney, a bit posh’. It’s the latterContinue reading “East Ender with a ‘bookworm’ accent”
‘Are you embarrassed about my accent?’
Anna and Mark are both artists based in St. John’s Wood. Anna grew up in King’s Cross and Finchley. She is a playwright and actor who is ‘very good at accents’ and uses them in her performances. Mark is from Greenwich, works in advertising and has often cast actors with accents for the TV commercialsContinue reading “‘Are you embarrassed about my accent?’”
LONDON TALKS and the Tower Hamlets community
Over the last months, I have interviewed 60 Londoners about their knowledge of and experience with London dialects to find out more about how London dialects are ‘enregistered’, i.e., socially and culturally constructed, for individuals. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to see hundreds of East Londoners react to the project at the QMUL FestivalContinue reading “LONDON TALKS and the Tower Hamlets community”
Pies for old-school Cockneys and people from all over the world
Joe Cooke is the owner of Cooke’s Pie and Mash shop in Hoxton, an East London institution that was founded by his great-grandfather Robert in 1862. According to Joe, his ancestor didn’t just own many pie and mash shops and pubs in the East End, he actually started the pie and mash business by sellingContinue reading “Pies for old-school Cockneys and people from all over the world”
‘DelBoy I.’ at the Cockney Museum
Last week, I finally visited the Cockney Museum, which had been closed for refurbishment over the winter. It’s just outside Southwest London in Stoneleigh, on the trainline from Waterloo to Dorking. George Major, the Pearly King of Peckham, opened it in 2020, having collected exhibits for his dream of a Cockney museum all his life.Continue reading “‘DelBoy I.’ at the Cockney Museum”
LONDON TALKS 