BBC Learning English
The English We Speak
13th September 2011
Yob
Callum:
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. My name is Callum Robertson.
Li:
And I'm Yang Li.
Insert
Men: Come 'ere then! Oi! Come on then! Want a fight? Who are ya?!
Li:
Oh Callum! Who are all those horrible men that I can hear on my headphones?
Callum:
Well, Li, they are yobs.
Li:
Yobs?
Callum:
Yes, yobs. Yob is our phrase for today. It's an informal word that refers to a man who is loud and rude and possibly rather violent.
Li:
Oh, that sounds like you!
Callum:
What are you talking about, sounds like me?! What do you mean? Are you asking for a fight?!
Li:
No, no, no! But do you see what I mean? You sound like a yob.
Callum:
Erm... yes, OK. Sorry about that. Anyway, I chose this word because as many people will know the UK recently experienced some violence on the streets of London and other cities. 'Yob' is a word that the British press used to describe the rioters. Let's hear some real headlines from some British newspapers: Examples
UK riots: 11 councils to evict 'riot yobs'.
Ken Clarke blames 'feral' yobs.
600 riot yobs left DNA on windows.
Riot yobs filmed attacking cop cars.
Riot yobs can't hide.
UK riots: young yobs back on streets despite David Cameron's pledge.
The English We Speak
© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
Li:
I'm not sure I remember seeing this word yob on the BBC news site.
Callum:
Well no. It's a very negative and judgemental word. The BBC tends to avoid this kind of language in its news stories. But this is a piece of British slang that is very common in the UK. We also sometimes use the word yobbo.
Li:
Yobbo. Hmm. But where do all these words come from?
Callum:
Well, interestingly, what we have here is an example of backslang. If you read the word yob backwards, what do you get?
Li:
Erm... B.O.Y., boy.
Callum:
Exactly. And that's what the word used to mean, but now it refers to a rude and violent man, often a young man but not always.
Li:
Listen Callum, I'm sorry about earlier. I don't really think you're a yob. You are a gentleman.
Callum:
Oh, thanks Li.
Li:
But in any case you know if we were to get in a fight I would beat you. So don't you try that again!
Callum:
OK.
The English We Speak
© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Page 2 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
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