A STUDY OF SOME COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG WORDS
AS RECORDED IN A DICTIONARY OF COCKNEY RHYMING
SLANG
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
DEA ROSARI P SUKATENDEL
Student Number: 064214099
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vi
Trying is tiring but it’s
the only way to
succeed
Anonymous
Keep hoping
things will
vii
This Undergraduate Thesis is Dedicated to
My wonderful Parents
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is very special and precious that I can do and finish this thesis.
Therefore, firstly I would like to thank You, God, who always gives me strength
and blessing in my life. Hence, my deepest gratitude goes to my advisor, Dr. Fr.
B. Alip, M.Pd., M.A. for guiding, helping me and being patient. I am sorry for
troubling him because of my laziness. My special gratitude also for my
co-advisor, Linda Valentina Budiman, S.S., M.Hum. who has spent her precious
time to read and correct my thesis.
I would like to express my gratitude to my father and my mother for
giving me the greatest love, support, pray, and the great attention during my
finishing this thesis. You have encouraged me to face this life, and have taught me
about struggles I have to do in order to get the better life.
Then, to my besties, Dimas, Kiki, Herni, Puput, Elsa, Cumi, Cacat,
Vindra, and Fariz for accompany me in bad days, giving me strength and courage
and making me learn about the value of friendship. The faith, hope and love will
help us to gain our dream and defend our friendship forever. I also thank to Enal
who always make me laugh and give me his hands and love.
I would like to give special thanks to all the lecturers in English Letters
Department whose guidance has brought me to finish my study. I will not forget
to say thanks to secretariat staff of the Faculty of Letters for their service, and also
to the library staff for helping me find the books.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE………... i
APPROVAL PAGE……… ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE………... iii
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI………... iv
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY... v
2. Theory of Sociolinguistics………... 11
3. Theory of Etymology………... 14 A. The Characteristics of Cockney Rhyming Slang... 24
B. The Background of the Expressions of Cockney Rhyming Slang...……...………... 28
1. Cockney Rrhyming Slang in East End London.………... 29
2. Background of the Names of Celebrities or Famous People... 33
x
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION………. 49
BIBLIOGRAPHY………... 52
xi
ABSTRACT
DEA ROSARI P SUKATENDEL. A Study of Some Cockney Rhyming Slang Words As Recorded in A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012. the possible etymological explanation for the cockney rhyming slang words found in A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang? 3) What are the phonological similarities between the slang words and their targeted words?
In order to get the main analysis of the study, the writer analyzes the etymology of cockney rhyming slang phrases. The next step is the writer analyzes the expressions from the phonological aspect. The writer used both library research and internet research method in this study. In this analysis, the writer uses sociolinguistics approach. The theories which are applied in this study are theory of rhyming slang, theory of sociolinguistics, theory of etymology, theory of distinctive feature and theory of syllable structure.
xii
ABSTRAK
DEA ROSARI P SUKATENDEL. A Study of Some Cockney Rhyming Slang Wods As Recorded in A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.
Cockney rhyming slang adalah dialek daerah yang paling menonjol di London. Cockney merujuk pada orang-orang yang hidup berdekatan dengan gereja St Mary-le-Bow di Cheapside, London dan mereka dapat mendengar suara lonceng gereja tersebut. Dialek ini juga digunakan oleh para kelas pekerja London (wilayah East End). Secara linguistik, dialek ini dapat merujuk kepada aksen dan bentuk bahasa Inggris yang dipakai kelompok ini.
Sesuai dengan judul skripsi ini, penulis akan menjawab permasalahan-permasalahan yang muncul, yaitu: 1) Apa saja karakteristik dari cockney rhyming slang? 2) Penjelasan etimologi apa yang memungkinkan untuk kata-kata cockney rhyming slang yang terdapat di A Dictionary of Rhyming Slang? 3) Apa saja persamaan-persamaan fonologi yang terdapat diantara slang words (bahasa gaul) dan targeted words (arti yang dituju)?
Untuk mencapai analisis utama dalam penelitian ini, penulis menganalisa etimologi dari beberapa kata cockney rhyming slang. Dalam langkah selanjutnya, penulis menganalisis ekspresi-ekspresi dari aspek fonologi. Penulis menggunakan baik studi pustaka maupun metode penelitian internet dalam penelitian ini. Dalam analisis ini, penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosiolinguistik. Teori-teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teori rhyming slang, teori sosiolinguistik, teori etimologi, teori distinctive feature dan teori syllable structure.
Hasil analisis penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa tidak semua kata-kata
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Language is a very essential thing in our life. Nowadays, there are many
kinds of language in every part of the world. The development of human
civilization influences the language itself. Human civilization makes language
spread out in the world.
Basically, language builds a system of communication which connects
everybody in the world. We can transfer a message to one another by using
language that is why language plays very important role for human life.
According to O‟Grady and Dobrovolsky (1989), language is many things. It is a
system of communication, medium for thought, a vehicle for literary expression, a
social institution, a matter for political controversy, a factor in nation building
(1989:1).
A group of people who speak a certain language may find it difficult to
understand what is said by another group using exactly the same language.
English language, known as international language, is not only spoken differently
There are two kinds of language. They are formal language and informal
language. Slang itself occurs in informal language which means it is not used in
formal speech or writing.. The nature of the slang is to a great extent, depends
upon the locality, as it chiefly is concerned with colloquialisms or words and
phrases common to a particular section.
Slang is used by all kinds of groups of people who share situations or
interests. The group which uses these words is always in the minority, and often
uses slang to set themselves apart or make it difficult for ordinary people to
understand them. When a particular new expression is known and used by a large
majority of the population, it is no longer slang, but part of the regular language
or usage (http://www.bu.edu/mfeldman/Slang/).
In this study, the writer discusses cockney rhyming slang. According to A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010), The term „Cockney‟ originally means someone who lives near St. Mary-le-Bow Church in Cheapside, London,
just down the road from St. Paul‟s Cathedral. In those days, all of the City of
London can hear the sound of the bow bells of the Church.
The etymology of Cockney has been long discussed and disputed. The
word originated as “cocken-ay”. Cockney literally means “cock‟s egg”, a
misshapen egg such as sometimes laid by young hens. It was originally used
when referring to a weak townsman, dissimilar to the tougher countryman and by
the 17th century the term, through joking, came to mean a Londoner. Today‟s
(http://www.uab.ro/reviste_recunoscute/philologica/philologica_2003_tom3/55.d
oc), August 23, 2012.
This thesis focuses on seeing cockney rhyming slang related on the
background of expressions found in A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010). There are many of expressions that we do not know how those expressions come from.
As seen from its name, Cockney rhyming slang is slang which is formed
by deriving the final rhyme of the referential word to make up its slang word
having exactly or apparently the same final rhyme with the one of the referential
word. Some of the earliest slang words of Cockney rhyming slang, including the
„codes‟ socially accepted by the East End thieves are
Slang Word Meaning
Adam and Eve believe
apples and pears stairs
tea leaf thief
trouble and strife wife
uncle Fred bread
(Girardi, <http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/html_cockney_english.html>
The writer found the article about the origin of Cockney rhyming slang
from the online source, taken from www.aldertons.com. According to Jeremy Alderton, Cockney rhyming slang is a coded language invented in the nineteenth
understood. It uses a phrase that rhymes with a word, instead of the word itself –
for example stairs becomes apples and pears, phone becomes dog and bone and
shirt becomes dicky dirt. It can become confusing when sometimes the rhyming part of the word is dropped: thus „daisies‟ are „boots‟ (from „daisy roots‟).the
origins of Cockney rhyming slang are uncertain. It is not really a language since
the words spoken are clearly English. On the other hand, it is not a dialect either,
since the speakers of this slang are also perfectly capable of not using it. Some
stories said that this slang originated in the market place so that the vendors could
communicate without the customers knowing what was being said. Other stories
said that it originated in the prisons so that inmates could talk without the guards
listening in.
The criminal fraternity had never been faced with such a concerted effort to thwart them, so they developed Cockney Slang, the idea of which being that, two or more criminals could hold open conversation, within earshot of a "Peeler," without fear that their plans were being overheard by the police." It is very difficult to describe what Rhyming Slang is without using an example. Basically, you take a pair of associated words where the second word rhymes with the word you intend to say, then use the first word of the associated pair to indicate the word you originally intended to say. < http://www.aldertons.com>. (February 2, 2012)
When a language can develop into varieties depending on social
backgrounds of its speakers, the chance of it to perish gets smaller and smaller.
This is, indeed, what happens to the English language, which remains strong and
B. Problem Formulation
There are three problems which are the major concerns of this study. The
three problems are formulated as follows:
1. What are the characteristics of cockney rhyming slang?
2. What is the possible background explanation for the cockney rhyming slang
words found in A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010)?
3. What are the phonological similarities between the slang words and their
targeted words?
C. Objective of the Study
The purposes of this study are to help us to understand more about
cockney rhyming slang and to see the etymology of cockney rhyming slang
expressions. How the background of those people has connection with those
expressions and finally, this study will analyze the phonological similarities
D. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid the misunderstanding of the terms used in the study the
writer feels important to give the definition of the terms.
1. Cockney
According to Mandy Barrow in British Life and Culture article, cockney is a person who was born within hearing distance of the sound of Bow bells,
meaning within the sound of the bells of the Church of St Mary Le Bow in
Cheapside, London, and refers to an East London accent.
<http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/cockney.htm>
(March 13, 2012)
Geographically and culturally, the term Cockney refers to working class
Londoners (particularly those in the East End). Linguistically, it refers to the
form of Engish spoken by this group.
2. Slang
Based on Keith Allan and Kate Burridge (2006, p.70) in the book
Forbidden words: taboo and the censoring of language,
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines slang as 'very informal words and expressions that are more common in spoken language, especially
used by a particular group of people, for example, children, criminals,
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
This chapter covers three parts; review of related studies, review of
related theories, and theoretical framework. The first part includes reviews of
other studies which also discuss similar topic with this analysis. The second part
contains some theories about Cockney rhyming slang including theory of
rhyming slang, theory of sociolinguistics, theory of etymology, theory of
distinctive features, and theory of syllable structure.
A. Review of Related Studies
The writer gets two references from online articles. The first source is
taken from suite101.com (The genuine article. Literally). According to Jenny Ashford,
Cockney rhyming slang, also known as “Rabbit,” was purposely developed as a code by shady merchants and other members of the criminal element in order to confound customers, the authorities, or anyone else who happened to be listening. Rhyming slangs in general are fairly common in many languages; even American English has a few lingering examples, such as “brass tacks” being possibly derived from a rhyme with “facts,” and the colloquial term “bread” meaning money coming from the rhyming phrase “bread and honey.”
Rhyming slangs are common in many languages, even American English
has a few lingering examples, such as brass tacks being possibly taken from a rhyme with facts, and the spoken term bread meaning money coming from the rhyming phrase bread and honey. Historically speaking, a “Cockney” is anyone born within the sound of the bells of St. Mary-Le-Bow in the Cheapside area of
London, but many expressions that started out as Cockney rhyming slang have
infiltrated the speech of other Britons, sometimes without the speakers even being
aware of the derivation of the expression.
The second source is taken from www.helium.com. According to Rena Sherwood,
The best way to understand Cockney rhyming slang is to be around people that use it every day. New rhyming phrases are added all of the time, so native speakers are the best people to learn new phrases from. You begin to see the strange twists where a "nun and habit" really means "rabbit". (Then you have to determine whether "rabbit" means the small furry mammal or the act of running on at the mouth) <http://www.helium.com/items/1621937-learning-cokney-rhyming-slang>. (March 3, 2010).
In the second article, Sherwood tries to explain that cockney rhyming
slang is a daily language which is used only in certain group or community. In
other words, cockney rhyming slang is not as same as universal language. In
addition, there is only the member of certain group or community who can
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 ain't no grass and he's 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, I'm not a nark (informer) and he's skint (got no money, hard up) so I kept my mouth shut.
(http://london.allinfo-about.com/features/slang.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.org/articles/pages/793/Rhyming-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
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 18th century and the early 19th 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
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 people's 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.com/eng/d/sociolinguistics/sociolinguisti 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
social factors and social dimensions create different language varieties (Holmes,
1992).
According to Holmes, social factors here include four things, they are
participants, which deal with who is speaking and who are they speaking to;
setting or social context of the interaction where they are speaking (e.g. home,
work, campus); topic, which deals with what is being talked about; function, that
deals with why are they speaking. The social dimensions here include four scales.
They are social distance scale concerned with participant relationships whether it
is intimate (high solidarity) or distant (low solidarity), it is useful in emphasizing
that how well we know someone. Status scale concerned with participants
relationships whether it is superior (high status) or subordinate (low status).
Formality scale is related to the setting or type of interaction whether formal (high
formality) or informal (low formality), it is useful in assessing of the social setting
or type interaction on language choice. These scales are useful in assessing the
influence of the social setting or type of interaction on language choice.
The language used will be influenced by the formality of the setting. The
language choice at a religious service will be very different from language choice
on a friendly chat; functional scales, which relating to the purposes or topic of
interaction, that consist of two things, referential (information); whether high
information content or low information content and affective (solidarity); whether
low affective content or high affective content. Though language serves many
basic. Language can convey objective information of a referential kind, and it can
also express the feeling of someone.
3. Theory of Etymology
According to Onions, etymology has been briefly defined as „the origin,
formation, and development (of a word)‟. For words derived from French, the
ultimate source is given where possible, and the same treatment is given to many
Latin originals from which the English has directly or mediately been derived
(1966 : vii).
Since literate Englishmen have been acquainted with both French and
Latin throughout the Middle Ages and down to our own times, either channel, or
both, could be assumed as the means of entry into English, other things being
equal (1966 : vii-viii).
As Onions stated in The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, the etymologist always added the exact time of each word. As time goes by, we can
see the development of the words that we can conclude it as progressive
development.
An etymology is the history of a linguistic form, such as a word; the same
term is also used for the study of word histories. A dictionary etymology tells us
what is known of an English word before it became the word entered in that
dictionary. If the word was created in English, the etymology shows, to whatever
extent is not already obvious from the shape of the word, what materials were
used to form it. If the word was borrowed into English, the etymology traces the
borrowing process backward from the point at which the word entered English to
the earliest records of the ancestral language. Where it is relevant, an etymology
notes words from other languages that are related to the word in the dictionary
entry, but that are not in the direct line of borrowing.
4. Theory of Distinctive Feature
Based on Fromkin in the book An Introduction to Language, distinctive feature organizes language by defining groups of sounds which may exhibit
similar sound patterns.
When a feature distinguishes one phoneme from another it is a distinctive feature (or phonemic feature). When two words are exactly alike phonetically except for one feature, the phonetic difference is distinctive, since this difference alone accounts for the contrast or difference in meaning (1996: 256).
Usually a single feature has two values, plus (+), which means its
presence, and minus (-), which means its absence. E.g. /p/ is [-voiced] and /b/ is
[-voiceless] and /p/ as [+[-voiceless]. The presence or absence of nasality also can be
designated as [+nasal] or [-nasal].
This is a more explicit description of /p/, /b/, and /m/:
p b m Stop + + + Labial + + + Voiced - + + Nasal - - +
The distinctive features of the voiced stops are shown in the following table:
b m d n g ŋ
Stop + + + + + +
Voiced + + + + + +
Labial - + - - - -
Alveolar - - + + - -
Velar - - - - + +
Nasal - - - + - -
According to Crystal (1994, p.162) in the book The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, distinctive features are the important point when analyzing phonology. It is because they reveal more about the way in which the
statements within and between languages, than do descriptions based on
phonemes and allophones.
5. Theory of Syllable Structure
The syllable is a basic unit of speech studied on both the phonetic and
phonological levels of analysis. No matter how easy it can be for people and even
for children to count the number of syllables in a sequence in their native
language, still there are no universally agreed upon phonetic definitions of what a
syllable is.
Based on Crystal in the book The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language (2003),
Vowels and consonants typically do not act alone, the vast majority of English words contain a combination of vowels (V) and consonants (C), such as CV (go), VC (up), CVC (cat), CCVC (stops), and CCCV (screw). (2003: 246)
The syllable, usually marked as small Greek sigma: σ, has two immediate constituents (it is divided into two elements, to put it in another way), the Onset
(O), which includes any consonants that precede the nuclear element (the
vowel), and the Rhyme (R), which subsumes the nuclear element (the vowel) as
well as any marginal elements (consonants) that might follow it.
The Rhyme, in turn, is divided into Peak (P), also known as Nucleus (N),
and Coda (C). The Peak (Nucleus) represents the “nuclear” or most sonorous
syllable. Syllable structure may be represented graphically by means of a “tree
diagram”. The example the writer shall take is run /rʌn/.
/rɅn/ Run
Onset Rhyme
/r/ Nucleus (Peak) Coda /Ʌ/ /n/
From the example above, run /rʌn/, the Onset, Nucleus (Peak) and Coda each consist of one segment: the consonant (C) /r/ occupies the Onset,
the vowel (V) /ʌ/ is the Peak, and the consonant /n/ is the Coda of this
syllable.
A syllable is a phonological unit which is formed of one or more
phonemes. According to the book An Introduction to Language (1996), Every syllable has a nucleus, usually a vowel (but it may be a syllabic liquid or nasal). The nucleus may be preceded by one or more phonemes called the syllable onset, and followed by one or more segments called the coda. The nucleus and coda constitute the subsyllabic unit called a rhyme.
(sometimes „nucleus‟). The initial C is called the „onset,‟ and the final C the
„coda.‟ A unit called the „rhyme,‟ and consisting of the sequence peak plus coda,
is recognized by many scholars.
According to O‟Grady in the book Contemporary Linguistics, all
languages have syllables. The forms of these syllables aregoverned by various
kinds of constraints, but certain universal tendencies are observable:
1. Syllable nuclei usually consist of one vowel (V)
2. Syllables usually begin with onsets
3. Syllables often end with codas
4. Onsets and codas usually consist of one consonant (C)
As we see these tendencies, we find that the most common types of syllables
found in languages take the form CV and CVC (p.78; 2010).
C. Theoretical Framework
The contribution of theories is extremely needed in order to answer the
problems mentioned. Theories of rhyming slang, sociolinguistic, and etymology
are used by the writer, by using these theories we can get deeper understanding
about what rhyming slang is. The writer uses theory of sociolinguistics to get
more knowledge about the cockney rhyming slang toward the environment
because the use of cockney rhyming slang is to communicate their ideas or to
show their social identities. Through distinctive feature theory, it is used to
which share certain (phonetic) properties. The last is theory of syllable structure,
this theory is used to help the writer to explain the words based on their syllable
and to identify their segment or their syllabic unit.
Thus, the review of related studies is needed to add some more
information about cockney rhyming slang. The review of related theories will
accompany the review of related studies to give a deeper understanding about the
study. The elaboration of review of related studies and review of related theories
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of the method that the writer will use in collecting
and analyzing the data. There are three parts in this chapter. The first is the object
of the study. The second is the approach of the study. The last is the method of
the study.
A. Object of the Study
In this study, the writer analyzes the etymology of cockney rhyming
slang expressions as seen in A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010). This dictionary was published by Watchya.com, the site contains interesting and useful
e-books, in 2010. The main point here is that this dictionary shows the uniqueness
of cockney language. This dictionary consist of two parts; Cockney-English and
English-Cockney. The strong point of this dictionary is the list of cockney phrases
from clasical cockney rhyming slang until the up to datee cockney rhyming slang
B. Approach of the Study
In conducting the research, the writer used sociolinguistic approach.
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 attempt to relate verbal behavior and
performance to these factors.
The writer think that this theory help the writer to analyze the problems
that will be discussed in this thesis. The writer also can get deeper understanding
about the cockney rhyming slang toward the environment and the use of cockney
rhyming slang is to communicate their ideas or to show their social identities.
C. Method of the Study
The writer used both library research and internet research to complete
the accomplishment of the scientific research paper. In the library research, the
writer used some books that have relation to the topic. The writer also browsed
the internet because the writer had difficulties to find some reliable books about
cockney rhyming slang and also to get the theory related to the topic and most of
In this research, the writer used the data from the book A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010). The writer took some steps to analyze this case. The first step, the writer collected Cockney rhyming slang on the book A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010). Second, the writer looked for some further information about the meaning in the books, dictionary, and internet. The
next step, the writer found the connection between the expression itself with the
background or the etymology of those expression. The last step, the writer
analyze the phonological similarities between the slang and their targeted words
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer analyzes the problems in chapter 1. In
analyzing those problems, the writer focuses on each problem first so that finally
the writer can find the connections of all the problems listed in the problem
formulation.
There are three problems that are going to be analyzed in this chapter.
First section analyzes about cockney rhyming slang. Second section will analyzes
about the condition between the background, the expressions, and the names of
celebrities used in cockney rhyming slang. The last section analyzes about the
phonological simillarities between slang words and non-slang words.
The writer found seventeen cockney rhyming slang words which are
going to be analyzed. Not all of those words can be analyzed in the background
analysis and phonological analysis either.
A. The Characteristics of Cockney Rhyming Slang
Cockney rhyming slang uses substitute words, usually two, as a coded
alternative for another word. It uses a phrase that rhymes with a word. For
example, the cockney rhyming slang for “believe” is “Adam and Eve” as in
According to Jenny Ashford from the article at suite101.com (The genuine article. Literally), cockney rhyming slang is a type of argot that is
structured by replacing one word with two-word phrases that has the same
rhymes. Usually the second word is dropped and the original word is replaced by
a word that has no same rhyme, and then people usually use the word with has no
same rhyme when they‟re in conversation.
The argot is structured by replacing one word with a (usually) two-word phrase that rhymes with it. The second two-word of the phrase is then generally dropped, so that the original word has now been replaced by a word that does not rhyme, and that on immediate hearing has nothing to do with the original word. For example, the word “head” is sometimes rendered as “loaf” through the intervening rhyming phrase “loaf of bread.” By the same token, an American may be called a “Sherman” or a “septic,” through the phrases “Sherman tank” or “septic tank,” both of which rhyme with “Yank.”
(http://languagestudy.suite101.com/article.cfm/origins_and_structu re_of_cockney_rhyming_slang)
Modern Cockney slang that is being developed today tends to rhyme
words with the names of celebrities or famous people, for example:
a. Britney Spears Beers
b. Harry Nash Cash
Based on the article “Languages of the World”, Asya Pereltsvaig said
that there are some typical features of Cockney accent:
a. T-glottalisation (the use of the glottal stop instead of [t] and sometimes [p] and [k] as “Hyde Park” as Hy‟ Par‟)
c. H-dropping (house= „ouse)
d. alterations (for example, replacing /eɪ / with [æɪ ~aɪ ], as in [fæɪ s] „face‟ or [taɪ k] „take‟).
There also common patterns that are usually used by people when they
use cockney rhyming slang in the conversation.rhyming slang terms can be
summarized as follows:
a. WORD and WORD i. Noun and Noun :
Common nouns
pleasure and pain means rain,
e.g.
You don't have to take an umbrella. There won't be any pleasure today.north and south means mouth,
e.g.
He gave me a punch right up the north and south.Proper nouns:
Cain and Abel means table, e.g. Sit yourself at the cain.
Jack and Jill“hill,” e.g. Their cat is up the jack.
Adamand Eve“believe,” e.g. I can't Adam and Eve it!.
Verb and Verb:
read and write means fight, e.g. He'd rather read than walk away.
shake and shivermeans river, e.g. He jumped right into the shake.
ii. Pronoun and Pronoun : me and you means menu
iii. Adjective and Adjective: sorry and sad means bad, e.g. That dinner was a bit sorry.
b. NOUN PHRASE consisting in DETERMINER + HEAD:
Mother‟s ruin means gin, e.g. Mother's ruin and tonic, please.
Butcher‟s hook means look, e.g. Take a butcher's at this. Tea leaf means thief, e.g. He‟s a tea leaf.
The use of proper nouns (place names and proper names) is specific to
today‟s slang. In most rhyming slang terms, there is no obvious connection
between the phrase and the word replaced: Hampstead Heeth “teeth”; Scotch pegs “legs”; Irish jig“wig”; Conan Doyle“boil”; Mickey Mouse“house”; Auntie Ella“umbrella”; Mutt andJeff “deaf” (Neagu 2001:35).
The most point of characteristics of cockney rhyming slang that the writer
can find within the analysis is the tendency of referring by rhyming. Rhyme of
the last syllable of the target word determines one of the slang word, e.g. Wife
[waIf] become trouble and strife [straIf], hair [heǝr] become barnet fair [feǝr]. Sometimes the slang itself has nothing to do with the meaning of target word. As
a vernacular language, a language which is used by a group of people in a certain
area, cockney rhyming slang was started by thieves and criminals to
communicate in public without being understood by outsiders as a secret
language.
The way it works is you must take a pair of related words where the
second word rhymes with the word you are going to say, then use the first word
of the related pair to indicate the word you originally intended to say, e.g. 'She‟s
beautiful face.” This feature, called abbreviation, makes a sentence in which it is
employed much harder to understand. But there is always an exception that
proves the rule. There are some phrases in Cockney slang which are not
abbreviated for example the Cockney expression Adam and Eve (believe). In this case the full rhyming phrase is used in place of the word, e.g. Would you Adam and Eve it?.
Sometimes there may be two or more ways to indicate the very same
thing or concept, e.g. “tea” can be referred to as 'Rosy Lee' or Me and You' in Cockney rhyming slang. On the other hand, there may be one expression
indicating more ideas, according to the context, e.g. “Jack and Jill” can mean till (cash), bill, and hill.
Some rhymes have been in use for years and are very well recognized, if
not used, among speakers of other accents. For example the slang expression
bacon and eggs “legs” as used in the sentenceShe has long bacons means “she
has long legs,” the slang expression butcher‟s hook “look” as used in the sentence Please,take a butcher‟s at this means “Please, take a look at this.”
B. The Background of the Expressions of Cockney Rhyming Slang
Some people said that cockney rhyming slang was made to help thieves
speak without being understood by others after a crackdown on crime in the heart
of London. Others said that the slang was created by market traders so they could
customers. What is known is that Cockney rhyming slang is alive and well, with
new phrases entering the lexicon all the time.
<http://www.dailywritingtips.com/cockney-rhyming-slang/>. (June 12, 2010)
In this part, the writer discusses the etymology of some expressions of
cockney rhyming slang. First of all, the writer discusses the birthplace of
cockney rhyming slang which is East End London.
1. Cockney Rhyming Slang in East End London
Cockney Rhyming Slang originated in the East End of London, but not all
of the cockneys are from East End. According to Taylor in the article „Bits and
Pieces from East End,
Thus while all East Enders are Cockneys, not all Cockneys are East Enders. The traditional core neighbourhoods of the East End are Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Stepney, Wapping, Limehouse, Poplar, Millwall, Hackney, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Bow and Mile End. „The Borough‟ to the south of Waterloo, London and Tower Bridge were also considered Cockney before redevelopment all but extinguished the local working class areas, and now Bermondsey is the only Cockney area south of the Thames, although Pearly Kings and Queens can be found as far out as Peckham and Penge. The area north of the Thames gradually expanded to include East Ham, Stratford, West Ham and Plaistow as more land was built upon.
<
www.graphicality.co.uk/books/east-london_book/east-london.pdf>Based on the article, www.timeout.com, Watts also said that
working-class and theoretically Christian, many cockneys are Jewish, black or Indian. <http://www.timeout.com/london/big-smoke/features/3110/Death_of_the_cockney.html>
From the quotation above, the writer can say that being a cockney is not
all about born in east end within the sound of Bow Bells but we all know that
London is multicultural city. In recent years, there has been a move away from
Cockney in the inner-city areas of London towards multicultural London English
whereas the eastern outskirts of Greater London have more speakers of cockney
dialect. East London has always been the poor relation of the West End.
In the earliest time, East End was the place for trade and industry. It was a
dark, lower-class area with a large criminal activity. Many valuable and exotic
goods were imported from all over the British Empire and beyond and this
provided rich pickings for the small time crooks of the area. Unfortunately, the
bad reputation of the area made many police often came to this place. Finally, the
crooks decided that they need a secret language all of their own without being
understood by the police. This language called cockney rhyming slang.
< http://whizzer.hubpages.com/hub/Londons-Cockney-Rhyming-Slang>
Cockney rhyming slang itself has two different versions, classic cockney
rhyming slang and modern cockney rhyming slang. Classic cockney rhyming
slang was made in the first time it was made where the expression was made with
no humorous intent, such as Butcher's Hook simply refers to the double-ended hook with which butchers would hang up joints of meat. Difference from modern
with the names of celebrities or famous people. There are very few new Cockney
slang expressions that do not follow this trend. The only one that has gained
much ground recently that bucks this trend is "Wind and Kite" meaning "Web
site". < http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/cockney_rhyming_slang>
Today, most English speaking countries now use their own rhyming slang
expressions, E.g. Australia that has been a particularly strong user since the mid
1900's. It should be emphasized that the most recently invented rhyming slang
doesn't originate from Cockney's themselves. Cockney rhyming slang is now a
free term for the style of the rhyming technique.
The writer also get some informatin about where cockney rhyming slang
comes from, according to A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010), rhyming slang has come from other sources in time. From Ireland comes such
words as:
Slang Words Meaning
Rory O‟More Door
Cowhide wide; e.g. aware of
Glasgow boat Coat
Australia and, to a lesser extent, America have proved to be good sources
of their own rhymes:
Slang Words Meaning
Steel Rudds spuds (potatoes)
Giddy goat tote (totalizer)
Mad mick Pick
Lean and fat Hat
There are some examples of rhyming phrase using the last word being
spoken rather than the first word, such as „tart‟ in Jam tart for sweetheart,
although now it tends to carry a negative connotation. Another word is coffee and
cocoa for Say so (I should cocoa).
According to A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang (2010), there are some places where the rhyming phrases come from. Most phrases come from
words and expressions that always use everyday, such as currant bun (son), fine
and dandy (brandy), and Oxo cube (tube-London Underground). Other sources are come from:
i. Music hall performers:
Gertie Lee, Kate Karney
ii. Famous characters within London circles or world-wide:
iii.Places (around London):
Hampstead Heath, Albert Hall, Barnet Fair, Robinson and Cleaver (a former
London store)
iv. Barnaby Rudge for judge might be from the Dickens character or from the late 18th. Century dance, the barnaby.
Bubble and squeak for beak comes from the dish of fried cabbage and potatoes.
2. Background of the Names of Celebrities or Famous People
The writer is going to analyze about the background of the names of
celebrities or famous people because the writer think that it
i. Adam and Eve
According to the Bible in Genesis, God took some clay from the ground
and made the shape of a man. Then He breathed gently into the shape. The
man's eye's opened and he began to live. God called him Adam.
The Lord made a beautiful garden for him to live in. The garden, called
Eden, was full of many wonderful things. God hade made the man in His image
to keep Him company and look after the world.
God brought all the animals to Adam one at a time to be given their
names. "Elephant", he would say, or "Tiger", or "Porcupine", but God felt sorry
for Adam. "None of these animals is really like him," thought God, "he needs
someone to share his life. Someone who cares for him and who he can care for."
awoke the following morning, he found a wife, Eve, lying asleep beside him.
Adam was so happy.
God told the man and woman that it was their job to take care of their
new home but never touch the tree in the middle of the Garden. That tree gives
knowledge of good and evil. The day you eat its fruit, you will die.
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve broke the rules, they had eaten the
forbidden fruits and they were ashamed of what they had done and afraid to face
God, so they hid in the trees.. Adam tried to put the blame on Eve, and Eve tried
to put the blame on the serpent, but God was angry with all three of them.
God punished Adam and Eve, and all their descendants, by making their
lives hard. No longer could they live in the perfect world of the Garden of Eden.
Men would have to struggle and sweat for their existence. Women would have to
give birth to a child in pain and be ruled over by their husbands. Adam and Eve
were thrown out of the beautiful Garden of Eden forever.
Adam and Eve is well known because their issue for their belief. Their
faith to God was disappointing as God created them to maintain the earth.
Instead of due what God orders them, they betrayed God and do what the serpent
ii. J. Arthur Rank
Based on British Industrial History, Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank (December 22, 1888 – March 29, 1972) was a British industrialist and film
producer, and founder of the Rank Organization, now known as the Rank Group.
J. Arthur Rank was born in Kingston upon Hull in England, into a family
environment which was dominated by his father Joseph Rank who had built a
substantial flour milling business. He was educated at The Leys School in
Cambridge. Joseph is reported to have told his son Arthur that he was "a dunce at
school" and that the only way that he could succeed in life would be in his
father's flour mill. After school he had an apprenticeship in his father's milling
business and was then moved to London. As the facts tell that J. Arthur Rank
was a rich man, we can associate the money with the word “bank”.
iii. Robin Hood
Robin Hood is an outlaw. That means he lives outside the protection of
the law. But Robin is a law unto himself. He's the self-styled king of the
greenwood -- either Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire or Barnsdale in
Yorkshire.
Robin is no common criminal. As the famous saying goes, he robs from
the rich and gives to the poor. The poor have little to fear from Robin Hood. His
enemies are the rich and corrupt, especially the Sheriff of Nottingham and the
bad apples in the Church like the Abbot of St. Mary's and the Bishop of
Steal from the rich to give to the poor, is the creed of Robin Hood. It's a
feel good tale of the heroic Robin Hood against the evil rich king, and by
extension the rich altogether. Most people love Robin Hood. And that's a good
thing.
iv. Tod Sloan
According to The Phrase Finder, James Forman (Tod) Sloan was born in Indiana in 1874 and overcame neglect and poverty in his early life to become a
highly successful jockey. Initially rejected by his parents, his life changed when
he discovered his talent as a jockey and began to win prestigious and lucrative
races. His success was based on the short-stirrup style of riding, sitting high on
the horse's neck, which he developed himself - called the 'monkey crouch'.
Despite his start in life as an uneducated and malnourished street urchin, Sloan
lived the American dream by becoming one of the world's best-known
sportsmen. He adopted the name Todhunter and embarked on a flamboyant
lifestyle, complete with fast cars, adoring women and a personal valet.
Sloan's fall from grace was as spectacular as his previous success.
Following pressure from Lord Durham, the steward of The Jockey Club, the
sport's controlling body, The Prince of Wales dismissed him. He was later
informed by The Jockey Club that he "need not apply for a license" for the 1901
season due to unspecified "conducts prejudicial to the best interests of the sport".
There were allegations of jealousy and anti-Americanism in the US press. These
just didn't like him. Whatever the cause, the racing ban was upheld in America
too and his career was effectively over. After some ill-fated attempts to open
businesses and break into film acting, Sloan faded from public view. He was
married and divorced twice but died alone, of cirrhosis, in 1933.
It is rather emotional that Sloan's name should have become synonymous
with loneliness. Both his early and late life seems lonely and depressing. In his
autobiography, called with some feeling 'Tod Sloan by Himself', he wrote of his sadness at being abandoned by his long-dead parents - "I was left alone by those
I have never ceased to grieve for". Therefore, the expression of Tod Sloan in
cockney rhyming slang means alone, because he was alone in most of his
lifetime.
v. Herman Finck
Hermann Finck was a German theorist, composer, teacher and organist.
The great-nephew of composer Heinrich Finck, Hermann was born in Pirna, and
died at Wittenberg. After 1553 he lived at Wittenherg, where he was organist,
and there, in 1555, was published his collection of wedding songs. Few details of
his life have been preserved. Hermann Finck's theoretical writing was good,
particularly his observations on the art of singing and of making ornamentations
in song.
His most celebrated work is entitled Practica musica, exemplavariorum
signorum, proportionum, et canonum, judicium de louis ac quaedam de arle
historic value, but very rare. Why Herman Finck is the cockney rhyming slang
for ink because his works are connected with ink used.
vi. Tommy Tucker
Little 'Tommy Tucker' referred to in the words of this nursery rhyme
was a colloquial term that was commonly used to describe orphans - Little
Tommy Tucker. The orphans were often reduced to begging or 'singing for their
supper'. The reference to Little Tommy Tucker marrying and the lack of a wife
reflects the difficulty of any orphan being able to marry due to their
exceptionally low standing within the community. The first publication date for
Little Tommy Tucker was 1829. Therefore, the expression of Tommy Tucker in
cockney rhyming slang means supper, because in that song little “Tommy
Tucker” sings for his supper.
vii. Oscar Asche
He was a noted late-19th century and early 20th-century Shakespearean
actor onstage. Asche himself played in Chu during his third Australian tour in 1922. Back in London, Asche‟s fortunes faltered. His marriage failed, though
Lily Brayton, who was always more astute with money, did help produce his
final play, The Good Old Days of England, in 1928. It flopped.
Asche wrote two Oriental-themed novels and an autobiography,
published in 1929. He directed Brayton‟s last stage appearance in 1932, but his
unreliable, he picked up a few small parts in now forgotten films, but had no
involvement in the spectacular 1934 film version of Chu Chin Chow.
Oscar Asche died in poverty on 23 March 1936. He had no children, but
his nephew, the Honourable Keith John Austin Asche AC, has played a
prominent role in Australian public life, notably as Chief Justice of the Northern
Territory and its Administrator from 1993 to 1997. Oscar, on the other hand, is
barely remembered, though for many years his name survived as rhyming slang
for – ironically –„cash‟.
viii. Charlie Howard
Charles was born in Portsmouth New Hampshire. He had fair hair and
small body and suffered from asthma which led to quite a bit of teasing. In high
school he was bullied for being openly gay to the extent that he didn't even attend
his High school Graduation. In January 1984 Charles moved to Bagnor, Maine
and started making a life for himself. Charles was openly gay and out and even
quite flamboyant in his life style. He like wearing makeup, jewelry and a
woman's accessories he would.
On Saturday, July 7, 1984 Charlie attended a party. He left the party at
10 pm with his friend Roy Ogden, he decided to go to the post office to check his
mail. As Charlie and Roy walked down the street, some teens bothered them.
Charlie was beaten and thrown off the Kenduskeag River Bridge. Roy ran and
pulled the first fire alarm that he could find on State Street. An immediate search
An autopsy would reveal he had an asthma attack and drowned.
Today a short distance from the bridge a memorial has been erected. July 7,
Charlie's Death Date, is now Diversity Day in Bangor. In July 2004 the Charles
O. Howard Memorial Foundation was formed to promote diversity, tolerance and
hate crime prevention. In July of 2009, a memorial service was held for Charlie
which is the time the memorial for Charlie was dedicated 25 years after his
death.
According to Marjorie Smith from the article “Pace,” (promoting lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender health & well being),
I think bullying damages everyone involved - those who do it because they are learning to be cruel and those who look on and do nothing because they are learning to be cowards. This includes adults as well as young people. The most serious hate crimes in recent years were committed by young people - so not challenging incidents at the school level leads to hate crime in our streets.
<http://www.pacehealth.org.uk/Educational- Psychology%282340434%29.htm>
From quotation above, Smith said young people are being cowards as a
result of bullying. Therefore, the writer can associate CharlieHoward as coward
because his friends always bullying and disturbing him because of his sexual
C. The Phonological Similarities Between The Slang Words And Their Target Words
The writer picked frequently used slangs still widely on the use today by
cockneyers in London. Meaning that they are slangs spoken by London-based
English speakers, not by other English speakers in other English speaking nations
such as Australia, Canada, United States, etc. Therefore, the rhyme analysis will
follow British English pronunciation.
The writer found some words that will be discussed in this section. The
words are different from previous section. The writer should do this in order to
make easier explanation, because not all the way of pronunciation of the words
of cockney rhyming slang are on dictionary. Every words will have further
analysis about their syllables understanding.
The syllable has a hierarchical structure. It is divided into onset and
rhyme. Rhyme is divided into two, they are nucleus and coda. The first slang
word that the writer is going to analyze is Barnet fair. The word fair shorthened word of Barnet fair, [f] is voiceless labiodental fricative and [e] is a mid front short, [ǝ] is mid central short. We can draw the Barnet fair is a slang word for
hair, which has the same last syllables as fair. The difference between fair and
Figure 1
/feә/ Fair
Onset Rhyme
/f/ Nucleus Coda
/e/ /ә/ ø
The other word that has the same structure is late /leIt/ and the slang form is bait /beIt/ (from the phrase tiddler‟s bait). The difference of these words is only on their first phoneme /l/ and /b/, both /l/ and /b/ are [+voiced] and /l/ is
alveolar lateral and /b/ is bilabial stop.
Figure 2
/rӕŋk/ Rank
Onset Rhyme
/r/ Nucleus Coda
/ӕ/ /ŋ/ /k/
The second word is J.Arthur Rank, shortened Rank, in Cockney rhyming slang only the last word is used. Rank has one onset [r],one nucleus [æ], and two coda [ŋ], [k]. [r] is voiced alveolar glide, [æ] is low front short, [ŋ] is voiced
velar nasal, and the last phoneme is [k] is voiceless velar stop. Rank is slang word for bank, same as rank, bank also has one onset [b], one nucleus [æ], and two codas [ŋ], [k]. The difference between rank and bank is only on their onset.
The next word is Mae West, shortened West, this word has one onset [w], one nucleus [e], and two codas [s], [t]. West is the slang word of chest, that have the same syllable structure, consists of one onset[ʧ], one nucleus [e], and
two codas [s], [t]. The only difference is only on their onset, [w] is voiced velar
glide and [ʧ] is voiceless palatal affricate and the same phonemes are [e] is mid
front short, [s] is voiceless alveolar fricative, and the last is [t],voiceless alveolar
stop.
Figure 3.
/hʊd/ Hood
Onset Rhyme
Robin Hood is the slang word for good, that have one onset, one nucleus, and one coda. Like others, these words only have diffence on their
onzet [h], voiceless glottal glide, [g] is voiced velar stop. The same phonemes are
[ʊ] and [d], [ʊ] is high back short and [d] is voiced alveolar stop.
Another phrase is Uncle ned,shorthened ned, is cockney rhyming slang of bed. Ned itself has /n/ in the onzet, /e/ in the nucleus, and /d/ in the coda. Bed
has /b/ in the onset, /e/ in the nucleus, and /d/ in the coda. As we can see tha the
two words have the same figure but differ in their onset. The feature of /n/ is
voiced alveolar nasal and the feature of /b/ is voiced bilabial stop.
Another word which also has the diifference syllable is trouble and strife, a cockney rhyming slang of wife.
Figure 6.
/straIf/ Strife
Onset Rhyme
/str/ Nucleus Coda
Figure 7.
/waIf/ Wife
Onset Rhyme
/w/ Nucleus Coda
/a/ /I/ /f/
We can see on the figure 6 and figure 7, they are have the same syllable,
but the difference is only in their onset. /straIf/ has three onset /str/, two nuclei
/a/, /I/, and one coda /f/. /str/ is a consonant cluster (CCC) used as onset in the
word strife. The large onset cluster like this is not difficult to describe. The first consonant must always be /s/ and usually followed by one of one of the voiceless
stops(/p/, /t/, /k/) and a liquid or glide (/l/, /r/, /w/). On the other hand, /waIf/ has
only one onset /w/, two nuclei /a/, /I/, and one coda /f/. Therefore, the difference
is only in their onset /s/ (voiceless alveolar glide)and /w/ (voiced velar glide).
As the writer said in the first chapter, a rhyming slang is not always
contains of two words but also a small phrase. The last word will also rhyme
with the target word, but in the conversation usually the first word will be
between /f/ and /h/ is in their onzet /f/ and /h/, /f/ is voiceless labiodental fricative
and /h/ is voiceless glottal glide. Both phonemes are (-)voiced.
In cockney rhyming slang, there is also some phrases that do not always
have same syllable, such as adam and eve means believe.
Figure 4.
/i:v/ Eve
Onset Rhyme
Ø Nucleus Coda
/i:/ /v/
Figure 5.
/bI‟li:v/ Believe
bI lIv
Onset Nucleus Onset Rhyme
/b/ /I/ /l/ Nucleus Coda
As we see from figures above, the structure of both words are different
but it is still a cockney rhyming slang. Therefore, cockney rhming slang do not
always has the same syllable. The most important thing that they have the same
rhyme. Such as believe /bI:li:v/ and eve, believe has two syllables; the first syllable is /bI/ (onset and nucleus) and the second is /li:v/ which is formed by an
onset, a nucleus and a coda. On the other hand, eve has only one syllable, /i:v/ which has no onzet and only has nucleus and coda. In this case, the writer want
to say that the syllable which rhymed with the sound /i:v/ is /li:v/ with /l/ (voiced
alveolar lateral) as the onset.
In order to make the explanation become less exhaustive, the writer will
simplify the explanation. Similarly, the other words can be explained as follow:
1. The slang expression rip and tear /teǝr/ has the same structure with figure 7. The meaning of this expression is swear /sweǝr/ that has the same structure with figure 6. Both expressions have the same rhyme (nucleus and coda), they
have two nuclei /e/ is mid front short vowel and /ǝ/ is mid central short vowel
and their coda is /r/ voiced alveolar glide and they only differ in the onzet.
2. The slang expression pen and ink /Iŋk/ has the same structure with figure 3. The meaning of this slang expression is stink /stIŋk/. Both expressions have
