went and stood on; ’im as wrote Our Boys, yer know!”
’Andsome ’Arriet: “Well, I NEVER! It ’yn’t much of a Size, any’ow!”
Mr. Belleville: “’Ear! ’ear! Fustryte!”
This paragraph is from the London Globe of January 26th, 1885: “Spelling reformers take notice. The English alphabet—diphthongs and all—does not contain any letters which, singly or in combination, can convey with accuracy the pronunciation given by the newsboys to the cry, ‘A-blowin’ up of the ’Ouses of Parliament!’ that rent the air on Saturday. The word ‘blowin’’ is pronounced as if the chief vowel sound were something like ‘ough’ in ‘bough’; and even then an ‘e’ and a ‘y’ ought to be got in somewhere.”
There are twenty-seven stations on the London Inner Circle Railway—owned by two companies, the Metropolitan and District—and the name of one only—Gower Street—is usually pronounced by “thet tchung men,” the railway porter, as other people pronounce it. [“Emma Smith,”[11] while not a main line station, may be cited here simply as a good example of Cockney, for ’Arry and ’Arriet are quite incapable of any other verbal rendering.] They are cried as follows:—
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“South Kenzint’nn.” “Glawster Rowd.” (owd as in “loud.”) “I Street, Kenzint’nn.” “Nottin’ Ill Gite.” (ite as in “flight.”) “Queen’s Rowd, Bizewater.” (ize as in “size.”) “Pride Street, Peddinten. ” “Edge-wer Rowd.” (by common consent the Cockney refrains from saying “Hedge-wer.”) “Biker Street.” “Portland Rowd.” “Gower Street.” “King’s Krauss.” (Often abbreviated to “’ng’s Krauss.”) “Ferrinden Street.” |
“Oldersgit Street.” (no preliminary “H.”) “Mawgit Street.” “Bish-er-git.” “Ol’git.” “Mark Line.” “Monneym’nt.” “Kennun Street.” “Menshun Ouse.” “Bleckfriars.” “Tempull.” (“pull-pull-Tempull.”) “Chairin’ Krauss.” “Wes’minster.” (One sometimes hears “Wes’minister”: a provincialism.) “S’n Jimes-iz Pawk.” (ime as in “time.”) “Victaw-ia.” “Slown Square.” (own as in “town.”) |
Country cousins may be reminded that the guiding letters I or O so boldly marked on the tickets issued on the London underground railway, and, in the brightest vermilion, as conspicuously painted up in the various stations, do not mean “Inner” or “Outer” Circle, but the inner and outer lines of rails of the Inner Circle Railway. Though sanctioned by Parliament more than twenty years ago, the so-called Outer Circle Railway is still incomplete, its present form being that of a horse-shoe, with termini at Broad Street and Mansion House, and some of its principal stations at Dalston, Willesden, and Addison Road, Kensington.
