London (Cockney)

Learn the Cockney accent (Inner East London): Click here for the Audio Study Syllabus

Notes and Tips for Learning the Cockney Accent:
Cockney is the accent from inner East London and historically spoken by working class Londoners. It is said that to be a true Cockney you have to be born within hearing range of the Bow Bells, the sound of which carries approximately 3 miles. The Cockney accent has many special and unique features, as well a as a famous slang/dialect called ‘Cockney rhyming slang'(see the above examples)

Tips for learners:
• Generally there is a tendency by Cockney speakers to drag the lower jaw down and back when speaking.

• /l/ is clear before a vowels sound, and dark in all other environments, very often vocalised.

• The Cockney accent is non-rhotic, so /r/ is only pronounced before a vowel sound, but not a consonant sound.

• /j/ is dropped following some alveolar consonants in words such as new and duty .

• /h/ is very often dropped, particularly in mid-sentence environments, though not always, so it is better not to overdo this feature. /h/ is most likely to be pronounced in an emphatic position.

• ‘th’ in words such as ‘three’ is often substitited by ‘f’, though not always, so it is best not to overdo this feature. It is most likely to be pronounced as ‘th’ in an emphatic position.

• ‘ow, ou ‘ in words such as ‘now’ and ‘house’ are long simple vowels.

• ‘t’ is often substituted with a glottal stop, for example, at the end of the word ‘cat’.

• ‘aren’t’ >> ‘ain’t’

-Native Cockney speakers only pronounce »word final ‘r’ if the next word starts with a vowel and often use the intrusive ‘r’