Talking About Language
JODIE: You know “chavvies, would you say that for, erm, is that like kind of a backslang word or is that something that you’ve picked up?
KAREN: That’s a backslang word for children – yeah. Your chavvies… is your children.
LYNNIE: (Overlapping) I think that might be… No, I don’t think it is… Nope, I don’t think it’s a back, backslang. You’re getting…
KAREN: You’d say it… your chavvies.
LYNNIE: No I wouldn’t! But you’re getting backslang mixed up with what’s sort, sort of common dialect for Scousers then because… or old Scouse might have said “Chavvies” because backslang is where, say, “shabbite” is shite and “beatch” is bitch. So that it’s words that are put back to front, or whichever way something’s added on, that’s backslang. But what I think you are getting, I think, mixed up with is old Liverpool sayings
PETER: Beatch. [Laughs]
LYNNIE: Beatch, that’s one isn’t it? So like, eh, what else…? What sort of other things do they say? Like, the nippers, means the kids, doesn’t it? We would say kids, we wouldn’t say children.
PETER: Sprogs.
KAREN: Sprogs yes.
STEPHEN: Bin lids.
JODIE: What’s that?
STEPHEN: Binlids.
JODIE: Where has that come from?
STEPHEN: They’re babies. But I don’t know why they call them bin lids
PETER (?): Little tramps.
LYNNIE: No, because it rhymes with kids.
STEPHEN: Oh Yeah.
LYNNIE: Kids. Kids is a baby goat isn’t it? That’s a kid so I take it, it just means kids. So bin lids are little kids as opposed to teenage kids. Bin lids are little ones.
[Aside to child]
JODIE : What about yourself? I mean obviously like what other backslang words can you think of, and did it originate from when you two were kids, I mean did you, was it something that your Dad used to say in the house when you were younger? And now do you (apart from swear!)… or is it, Karen, something that you, kind of obviously, you know, passed on or anything?
PETER: Most of it’s swearing though. Whatever you say in slang you mostly swear sometimes.
JODIE: Is that to avoid your mum knowing what you are saying or obviously your mum would probably pick on it or to avoid like kind of a teacher at school knowing what you say?
PETER: Sometimes it just slips out when you’re saying it. It’s just the way you say, just slang when you say it, some swear words come out.
JODIE: Karen?
KAREN: You’re not allowed to get away with it. But I’d be one step ahead anyway. I’ve been there and worn the T shirt! So you know exactly what they’re saying
LYNNIE: Or you think you do. Cos some of the words that kids use now, you’re like, Jesus Christ, what is all that about?
PETER: Funny how, like, when you’re skitting your mates or something and you just come out with loads of stuff.
JODIE: Say that again.
PETER: Say you’re skitting your mates, you say like “Yeah but your Dad’s toenails” and all! You just come out…
KAREN: Swearing….
JODIE: Say that again?
KAREN: They say stupid words, so they’re not swearing.
PETER: Or, “Your Ma stinks”, or something like that.
LYNNIE: Our kids were saying the other day, er, Toby said to Chamonix “You’re that fat you got on the scales and the scales said ‘To be continued!’ ”.
PETER: You got on the scales and they said, “One at a time!”. Yeah there’s loads of jokes, there’s…..
JODIE: You know when you’re at school and you’re obviously sat with your mates and all the rest of it, do you speak to them differently than you would speak to your mum?
PETER: Yeah. Definitely, yeah.
KAREN: He wouldn’t get away with speaking to me the way he speaks to his mates!
PETER: My Mum would like that… She just wouldn’t understand what I say.
JODIE: What because you speak either really quickly or you speak a little bit differently?
PETER: Cos I just speak, I just don’t speak to me mum like, “Yeah, that’s a beast, that”, I dunno, like that.
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