The third official language of the London Olympics… Cockney Rhyming Slang!
Posted on March 28th, 2011by Michelle
In Culture, English, Events, French | 3 Comments »
NewsBiscuit seems to be coming up with some great language-related satirical news at the moment. Last month there was Nicolas Sarkozy admitting that French is a hoax, and now an article announces that Cockney Rhyming Slang is to be the third official language of the 2012 London Olympics.
The origins of Cockney Rhyming Slang are in the East End of London, the site for many Olympic venues. Organisers of the Games often talk about the ‘local legacy’ of the Olympics.
‘The inclusion of rhyming slang forms a key part of the celebration of the local culture. It will add a real sense of fun to proceedings with local marshals offering directions and answering queries in their finest cockney,’ explained Lord Coe. ‘OK, the more fluent guides may hinder more than help at times, but you never know its origins as a means for residents to communicate freely without interlopers understanding might come in handy if Olympic officials and other VIPs need to be on their toes to Steve Cram [scram] down the Sally [Gunnell -- Blackwall Tunnel] in the event of a suspected Roger [Black -- terrorist attack].’ (Source: NewsBiscuit)
English and French are the two official languages of the Games, and there was a small outcry last year when it was announced that French would take precedence over English during Olympic fortnight. Perhaps Cockney is the solution??
3 Responses
This was actually a true story following a news conference by Boris Johnson and Seb Coe
I love cockney rhyming slang is great words like ‘apples and pears’ and all that, maybe we should add some of it into the opening ceremony as part of the theme.
I doubt that people who live abroad will even understand what cockney rhyming slang is let alone understand it. I think that the best solution to this is making all participants in the olympics watch re-runs of only fools and horses before they are aloud to complete