It is estimated that English slang is changing so fast that about five new expressions are coined everyday.

For many the deviation amounts to the "bastardisation" of the English language, while for others it proves just how flexible our mother tongue is.

In south London, it would seem, these new words are fast becoming part of the everyday language, especially among the young.

Teen lingo, or "Blinglish" as it has been termed, can however prove confusing for the uninitiated.

For Tracey Andrews, a sport and exercise tutor at Carshalton College, help comes from a little mutual understanding.

"We hold tutorials with all our full-time students every week and this is a chance for them to talk about issues affecting their lives." she says.

"Language is one of the topics we like to cover, if anything it helps us understand more about them. It's almost an education for the tutors.

"We have to know what they're saying and at times it helps if we talk to them in their language.

"Every generation has used slang, particularly in young adulthood - the terms just evolve," she says.

Tracey Andrews, a sport and exercise tutor at Carshalton College compiled this list of top ten words used by students

SLANG TERM
MEANING

Bredrin Friend Innit Isn't it Bare A lot Mandem My people Endz The area Neek Nerd Hype Buzz Safe Cool In a bit Bye Butters Ugly Washed Waste of space Gassing Talking rubbish Greazy Good Beef Business Bouy Insult

But for Professor Sue Fox from Queen Mary's College, London, teenagers and their "bredrin" are fast forming their own brand of English, potent enough to push out London's traditional Cockney slang.

Her theory is supported by linguistic expert Professor David Crystal of Reading University, author of the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language who said that the ethnic diversity found in London is bound to produce new norms of speech.

"The English language is constantly evolving," he said. "It has always been a great borrower of words from other languages, and what we are now seeing is the operation of this process at a dialect level."

...and now for a list compiled by a 16-year-old

SLANG TERM
MEANING

Darmin Good looking man Catch the Street You want to fight Ebonics Street talk Bare Many Co-d Close friend Cotch To relax Neek Someone not cool Shower Cool ("That's so shower fam") Skeen Ok Suked Robbed ("You got suked fam") Fam Friend U Dun No You better know Shook Scared Reppin Representing ("Are you reppin these ends?") On Your J'S By Yourself ("You're on you j's fam") Lipsin Kissing Pent Prison Shank Stabbed Blood Friend Shanker Knife Bad Breed Bad type of person

All this can spell bad news for adults - as part of the point of youth slang is to exclude parents, teachers and police.

"As soon as it gets picked up by adults," adds Professor Crystal. "They drop it, that's what happens.

"And that is why it is so ephemeral."

Words also evolve from the use of new technologies, especially the mobile phone and SMS (short message service) or text messages.

These often creep into the language together with others in popular culture from media such as movies, music lyrics, youth magazines and television.

While "dat" and "dere" may be of Jamaican origin their use in SMS messages as easier-to-key options to "that" and "there and their" cement them as slang in common usage.

There is also obvious lending from across the pond, with words such as "feds" and "pent" used to refer to the police and prison respectively.

The influence of rap music is also significant, acting as one of the main channels through which British youngsters tune into American lingo.

In America the phenomenon has been termed "ebonics" - a fusion of the words ebony and phonic.

Raging debate remains about whether the resultant language is simply bad English or a viable dialect, but whatever side of the fence you sit, it seems one thing remains, youth slang is fast saturating London, whether or not its users fully understand its potency, or even meaning.

"It seems like everyone is doing it at my school," says 16-year-old Lizzie from south London.

"Most of them grew up in posh middle class families but their accents sound as if they are from Brooklyn or somewhere.

"Everybody's scared to ask what it means because they'd get laughed at, but I bet if anyone did ask they wouldn't even know."

  • What are your favourite slang terms? Use the comment feature below.