Janner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Janner is a slang term referring to any English person born within ten miles of the sea. However, it has recently been used as a pejorative term to describe the lower classes from the city of Plymouth in south-west Devon.
Uneducated people these days, when referring to a Janner, are no longer referring to its correct definition (someone born near the sea), but using it as a derogatory term to describe someone from Plymouth. The term is used among students and Elitists resident in Plymouth to describe a chav (or burb) from the city.
An example of use to describe a Plymouthian Chav is "I would not like to go out on Union Street tonight, as there are too many Janners there". As opposed to the majority of locals who may exclaim "Bugger off! I'm not going down De'nport, its full of blimmin' students".
The pejorative form has evolved through the hijacking of the word by both students and Grockles to describe the local chav subclass. Many local inhabitants of Plymouth, be they of the "lower classes" or not, have described themseleves as "Janners" for many generations. As such, Janner is not truly a pejorative term.
"Janner" also describes the accent and colloquialisms used by the people of Plymouth.
