THE COCKNEY ACCENT

Phonetical features that differ from RP a)Vowels: - [i:]  [  i:] ([mi:]  [m  i:]) - [u:]  [  u] ([du:]  [d  u]) - [e]  [  ] ([get]  [g  t]) - [ı]  [e] ([ıf]  [ef])

b) Diphthongs: - [a  ]  [a  ]/ [  ] ([ma  l]  [ma  l]) - [e  ]  [  ] ([pe  p  ]  [p  p  ]) - [a  ]  [  :] ([ta  n]  [t  :n])  tendency to centralise back vowels and diphthongs and a tendency to rounding (“nasalisation”)

c) Consonants: - ‘h’- dropping (‘ouse) - ‘g’- dropping word finally (doin’) or pronounced as a ‘k’ in words such as “nothink” - intrusive ‘r’ (“Maria Ann”  “Maria ran”) - old Cockney: interchange of ‘w’ and ‘v’ (“wery cold vater”) - glottaling of ‘p’, ’t’, ’k’ word- medially and –finally (“What a lot of little bottles”  [w       ] - ‘th’ is pronounced as ‘f’ (voiceless) and ‘v’ (voiced) or word initially as ‘d’ in pronouns like “this” or “those” ( My farver finks dis) - omission of ‘w’ in unaccented position and compound words (somewhat  summat) - ‘l’ is pronounced as a semi- vowel /w/ when it is followed by a Velar /l/ (milk  [mıwk]) omission of unaccented syllables (‘sted, ‘cause, fam’ly)

Some characteristic grammar of Cockney: - Double negation (“ I don’t know nothing about it”) - 3 rd person sing. ‘s’ attached to other persons ( similar use of ‘is’ and ‘was’  “The blokes is goin’ to de pictures”) - use of unorthodox superlatives (“worser”) - Adjectives used as Adverbs (“it must be done quick”) - Possessive pronouns modelled on ‘mine’ (“ourn”, “theirn”, “hern”) - Reflexive pronouns modelled on ‘myself’ (“He thinks a lot of hisself”) - ‘that’ is replaced by ‘what’ in phrases like “ a bloke what I knows” rhyming slang (“Britneys” = beers)

Some characteristic Cockney vocabulary - stretchers = lies - beak = nose - chap = friend - swop = exchange - choaker = tie - screwed = drunk to mug = to rob