THE COCKNEY ACCENT

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THE COCKNEY ACCENT
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Phonetical features that differ from RP
a)Vowels - i ? ?i (mi ? m?i)
-  u ? ?u (du
? d?u)   -  e ? ? (get ? g?t)   -  i
? e (if ? ef)
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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)
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  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 ?
miwk) omission of unaccented syllables (sted,
cause, famly)
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Some characteristic grammar of Cockney
-  Double negation ( I dont know nothing about
it) -  3rd 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)
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Some characteristic Cockney vocabulary
-  stretchers lies -  beak nose -  chap
friend -  swop exchange -  choaker tie - 
screwed drunk to mug to rob