Cockney Accent

Cockney

Accent

By V. Bella and M. Ferreyra

Important

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Hello mate!Let's talk about the Cockney accent.

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

The sound of Bow bells in the City of London

The word "Cockney"

I don't lay eggs

St. Mary-Le-Bow

To be considered a Cockney, one had to be born within earshot of these bells.

Sound of Bow bells 1851 & 2012

Let's approach this from a different perspective.

Traditionally, Cockneys resided in working-class population centers to the east of the City of London.

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The Cockney accent, or London accent, has expanded far beyond the boundaries of the East End.

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Let's explore some famous individuals associated with Cockney culture who hail from areas outside the East End of London.

No Cockney accent allowed!

How can we pronounce the Cockney accent?

If you want to try out a Cockney accent, you only need to make a few simple changes, no matter where you're from!

Take notes!

Cockney substitutions

eɪ

aɪ

əʊ

aʊ

aɪ

ɔɪ

aʊ

Take notes!

Dark /l/

/w/

Using Rhyming Slang

Watch the video and dive into a world of confusion.

Read

Read

Conclusion

Read

REsources

• Langfocus. (2018, February 2). Jergas Rimadas Cockney. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La7Tg5e547g
• Learn English with Papa Teach Me. (2015, February 25). Learn the Cockney accent with Jason Statham [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WvIwkL8oLc&t=143s

• LetThemTalkTV. (2020, August 21). The story of COCKNEY the (London) Accent and its People. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6NFxIm1JV4
• LetThemTalkTV. (2019, May 31). A LONDONER Explains How to Speak COCKNEY (London accent) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11qjmvTdJ8&t=339s
• National Geographic. (2022, September). An Inside Guide to Cockney London. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2022/09/an-inside-guide-to-cockney-london
• WikiHow. (n.d.). How to Speak with a Cockney Accent. WikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/Speak-with-a-Cockney-Accent

THANK You

for your attention

Let's explore the map of London. In the middle, there's an area called the City of London. It's vital to understand that London and the City of London are not the same. The City of London is the original settlement, dating back to Roman times. It's known as the financial center, but it's also the oldest part of the city. In the heart of the City, you'll find St. Mary-Le-Bow. The whole map is known as Greater London.

• Drop the letters 't' and 'k' from the middle of words. A glottal stop is the linguistic term for dropping the sound of the letter 't' from the middle of a word. You can do the same with the letter 'k' in the middle of a word as well.
• Cockneys don't emphasize the 'h' sound when it's the first letter in a word. For example, pronounce 'herb' as 'erb,' 'horse' as 'orse,' and 'hopefully' as 'opefully.'
• Similar to most English accents, the Cockney accent drops the 'r' from the end of a word while also emphasizing the schwa sound. For example, 'mother' becomes 'mo-thah.'
• Cockneys replace 'th' with 'f' or 'v.' For words starting with a 'th' sound, like 'think,' change the 'th' to 'f,' as in 'fink.' 'Thought' becomes 'fought,' and 'thirsty' becomes 'firsty.' For words with a 'th' sound in the middle, such as 'Northern,' replace it with a 'v' sound, like 'Norvern.'
• Substitute the letter 'l' for a 'w' at the end of words. For instance, 'pal' would sound like 'pow,' and 'trouble' becomes 'trou-bow.'
• The Cockney accent is very informal and often omits the 'g' in words ending with 'ing.' For instance, 'starting' becomes 'startin',' and 'laughing' becomes 'laughin'.'

Initially, around 4.5 million people resided within the area considered to be within the sound of Bow bells, making up the population of Cockneys. However, you might be wondering how this definition holds up in modern times, with the noise from cars, traffic, and the bustling cityscape. Fortunately, sound maps can provide us with insights. These maps depict how sounds travel across a specific geographical region. So, let's examine the sound maps for Bow bells to gain a deeper understanding of the extent of their sound today. Here's an example from 1851, showing that the sound carried quite far, although not as far as Highgate Hill. Victorian London was known for its noise, and the sound of the bells reached as far as Leyton, which is approximately 9.5 kilometers away. However, examining the sound map from 2012, we can observe that the sound of Bow bells is barely audible in Shoreditch, which is three kilometers away.

Here we can see the West End, famous for its shopping and entertainment. On the other side, we have the East End, which used to be a neighborhood where working-class people and immigrants lived, although it has changed over time.

In conclusion, traditionally, Cockneys were defined as those living within earshot of the Bow Bells of St Mary-le-Bow church, and those residing in working-class population centers to the east of the City of London. However, over time, the term has expanded to encompass Londoners in various parts of the city and its surrounding areas. While the concept of Cockney may have evolved, it is far from disappearing. Instead, it continues to undergo continuous transformation, much like the entire British English language. Modern Cockney is distinct from its version a century ago, mainly due to the dynamic linguistic landscape influenced by the presence of over 200 languages spoken in London today. Identifying the specific origins of linguistic features has become more complex, but the ongoing process of change remains evident. Cockney, like any living accent, adapts and evolves as it interacts with diverse cultures and communities, reflecting the vibrant and ever-changing nature of the city it calls home.

Why is this? Well, during World War II, the East End experienced heavy bombing, leading many residents to rebuild their lives in other parts of London, particularly in Essex, east of London, in places like Harlow, Basildon, and Southend. Another significant factor to consider is that the Cockney accent no longer carries the stigma it once did. In the past, if you wanted to work in the civil service or a profession, shedding your Cockney accent was often necessary. Previously, you would rarely hear a Cockney accent on the BBC, except for a touch of local flavor. However, things have changed. Cockneys now take pride in their accent, and it has spread far and wide. You can hear the accent as far north as Barnet, as far south as Brighton, and as far west as Slough. So, while "Cockney" may refer to a geographical location, the accent itself has extended well beyond its traditional boundaries.

Cockney substitutions: Cockneys sometimes replace grammatically correct words with grammatically incorrect ones. For instance, they might use "ain't" in place of "isn't" or "is not," and substitute "me" for "my." They also employ double negatives, as in the example: "I didn't see nothin' there!" To illustrate, you could say, "I'm gonna take the dog for a walk with me mum," or "I ain't excited about the Monday meeting."

This is the most basic and cliché example of Cockney rhyming slang: [Cockney speaker:] "I went up the apples and pears." The phrase "apples and pears" is a substitute for the word "stairs." So, you take a word that rhymes with the original word, and then use it to create a pair of related words. That pair of words now represents the original word, in this case "stairs." Here's the most interesting part: the second word of the pair, the one that rhymes with the original word, is usually left out, as in "I went up the apples." Let's look at another example: We'll start with the word "house." A rhyming word is "mouse." A complementary word is "cat." So, "cat and mouse" means "house." [Cockney speaker:] "I went inside the cat and mouse and up the apples and pears." It's theoretically possible to shorten both of the rhymes and say the sentence: [Cockney speaker:] "I went inside the cat and up the apples." But it would probably be said the long way in order to be less confusing.

Cockney accent started in the poorer parts of London, especially in specific districts like Bow, Hackney, Poplar, and Stepney. But it's important to know that the Cockney accent is not only found in those areas. You can also hear it in other parts of London and nearby regions. Because of migration and cultural influences, there are different versions of the Cockney accent in various parts of the UK and even in other English-speaking countries.