The recontextualisation of Multicultural London English: Stylising the ‘roadman’

Abstract Though research on the multiethnolect spoken in London—Multicultural London English (MLE)—has described social distribution of variety, stylistic potentials MLE remain poorly understood. This article explores enregisterment and subsequent ‘recontextualisation’ (Bauman & Briggs 1990) by analysing linguistic aesthetic components a identity—the ‘roadman’. Specifically, I explore corpus TikTok videos to analyse ways which features characteristic (e.g. pronominal man , discourse-pragmatic styll fronted /uː/) are co-opted stylised parodic performances roadman. demonstrate that these co-occur with tropes personhood participation grime music, overt heterosexuality, streetwear aesthetic) ideologically associated particular type gendered, classed, racialized identity. Concluding, reflect status roadman persona reference contemporary patterns language variation UK. (Multicultural English, personae, digital culture, TikTok, stylisation, performance)*