The Little Londoner - A Concise Account of the Life and Ways of the English, With Special Reference to London; Supplying the Means of Acquiring an Adequate Command of the Spoken Language in All Departments of Daily Life #270032

It is not necessary to take the chapters in the exact order in which they appear in the book, as each chapter is complete in itself. The words and phrases given in brackets serve to explain the text or to extend the vocabulary by the suggestion of synonyms. Chapter XXVI, which deals with the language, contains an alphabetical list of the most common slang expressions with explanations in good English, and is largely based on my own observation. I have added a brief enumeration of the chief peculiarities of cockney speech. The chapter is intended to enable the foreigner to distinguish what is good from what ought not to be imitated in the conversation of the native. Those who have little experience are too much inclined to make an indiscriminate use of slang, without considering whether it may not be regarded as a sign of offensive familiarity by the person addressed.