Sarf London

English

Etymology

Pronunciation spelling of south, representing a th-fronting South London accent.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɑːf ˌlʌn.dən/

Proper noun

Sarf London

1. (UK, nonstandard) South London
   • 1995, Kevin Durkin, “Language Development II: Social Dimensions of Acquisition and Use”, in Developmental social psychology: from infancy to old age‎^[1], →ISBN, page 248:

     Nigel Kennedy, the English violinist, is noted for having acquired a working-class “Sarf London” speech in early adulthood, overcoming the heritage of an elite education as a gifted child at the Yehudi Menuhin school, in the course of which he was exposed to continuous input of RP.

   • 2003, Peter Buckley, editor, The Rough Guide to Rock‎^[2], →ISBN, page 203:

     Their stance as the most honest band in the world was offset by some nagging doubts: even some of their true believers felt that Strummer (real name John Mellors) came from too privileged a background to be genuinely angry, while Jones’s ‘Sarf London’ accent was considered suspect.

   • 2006, Martyn Waites, Mary's Prayer‎^[3], →ISBN, page 106:

     ‘I figured that all this Sarf London wideboy bit was just smoke.’