Learn about the COCKNEY ENGLISH accent & dialect

TRANSCRIPT

Hello. I'm Gill at engVid, and today's lesson is about an accent-and it's an accent that we hear a lot in the U.K., especially in the south of the country-and it's called the Cockney accent. And it's centered around the London area, London and the southeast, so it spreads quite a long way out from London as well. And I don't know if you've ever heard of these actors: "Michael Caine, Barbara Windsor - they are actors whose natural accent is the Cockney accent, because they both grew up in the London area, so they grew up speaking the Cockney accent.

So, the Cockney accent is like a regional accent, really, it just happens to be the regional accent for the capital city of England. So, that's just like any other regional accent; you could have a Yorkshire accent, a Liverpool accent, a Birmingham accent, London has its own regional accent as well. So, rather than RP, Received Pronunciation, which is the accent that English teachers usually teach people who are learning English, if they're teaching them British English, that is. Of course, American teachers will teach in an American accent, etc.; Australian teachers will teach in an Australian accent; but if I'm teaching English, because I'm in the U.K., I would teach the RP, Received Pronunciation accent.

But the Cockney accent, it's very useful to know about because if you happen to be in London, or you may be watching a film or a television program where people are speaking with this accent, and you may at first have difficulty understanding what the person is saying. I had a student a while ago who was from Italy, and he had started working in a company, and he told me: "I can't understand my boss very well when he speaks to me. I can't... I have to keep asking him to repeat, and it's getting embarrassing." So I sort of guessed his boss might have a Cockney accent, and said: -"Well, does he do this? Does he do that?" -"Oh yeah, that's what he sounds like." So, I said: "Okay, he's probably speaking with a Cockney accent", so there are lots and lots of people in the London area who speak with this accent.

Traditionally, it's been associated with a kind of working-class accent, but nowadays it's much more complicated than that; there are people working in very professional jobs who also have Cockney accents. I had a Chinese student at one time from China, and... But I noticed she had some sort of... She sounded a little bit Cockney when she spoke English, so I asked her about that-and she worked in finance, I think in investment banking-and she said: "Oh, my boss... It's my boss, he's Cockney, so I sort of hear him speaking and it influences me." So someone in a sort of very high professional job could have a Cockney accent, so there's no difference, really, nowadays. But the thing is: If your boss speaks with a certain accent, there is a tendency to try to speak like them just to be able to relate to them well in your work, so that does happen. Depending on who you're with, your accent can change. So, it happens to me as well. Okay. So...

So what I've done here, I've just chosen six aspects or features of the Cockney accent just to explain what they are and to demonstrate how they sound, so that when you do hear a Cockney speaker, even if it's just in a film or a television program or on the radio, you will know what you're hearing and you'll think: "Ah, okay, I know what that should be. What that word is", because you know how the Cockney accent changes some of the consonant sounds, and makes some of the little changes to what we would call RP, the standard British pronunciation.

So here's a little summary, then, of the Cockney accent and some of the main features. So, first of all, the "th" sound, which a lot of people... If you're learning English, you may not have "th" in your own native language, and so people have difficulty pronouncing: "th", "th", "th", like that. […]

[tieteawhytee]

You're the most adorable teacher in the world👒

[Abu-Aley]

Fanks a lo'
Wiv respecto the "th" sound, we have got two types
1. the voiced, such as in mo"th"er, and this to be turned to V sound, so mother becomes mava.

2. the unvoiced "th", such as in no"th"ing, and this to be turned to F sound, so nothing becomes nofing.

A bonus tips : the "R" is non rhotic in Cockney as well as the RP. Thus, mother was turned to mava as we don't pronounce the "R" at the end.

Cheers,
Ahmad,

[laoarangor]

Dear Lady, Thanks for this lesson, this is pure gold. Quality information, easy to understand, clear pronunciation! We need more teachers like you! ❤

[viomayer]

I'm a Brazilian girl who loves the English language and the British accent (I was a little kid when I first watched the 1968 film Oliver Twist and immediately fell in love with their accent). I'm currently an English student at my local University and I'm extremely glad I found this channel. Thank you!!!

[hado-hado]

I hope you always have good health and release useful information lessons for us. I have gained a lot of knowledge via your video. I love your accent ^^

[scott]

I'm American, but I've always used "sh" for "s" in some words. I never noticed I did it until watching this. Much of my speaking mirrors my dad's speach.

[ekwealoronyebuchi]

You're the real Queen of England, thank ya teacher Gill.

[faro_inc]

I'm Brazilian and I spoke cockney accent in my entire life and don't knew! LoL you teacher

[joelmasamba]

Yes, my teacher i gotta use it but I'm gonna be frustrated coz people ain't gonna understand me

[FCR]

That is an amazing class! I could be talking about it hours and hours without stopping, I really love know it.
Most of us, Brazilians, speak exactly like this, meanly in numbers 1, 3, 4 and 5, so we weren't speak it wrong, we were speaking it with cockney accent.😂
The number six is exactly like Brazilian accent from Rio de Janeiro .

[jqtgxkf]

Finally I could forgive myself for not getting what British people speak but still need to learn more English in it’s spoken forms…..thank for Gill’s enlightenment. A Great teacher and lovable mentor!

[katiorchi]

She's like a little fairy!! She's sooo cute!! Luv her

[redaescapologist]

I like the way you present the lesson...Your English is very clear and understandable....Greetings from Algeria

[eufalkao]

I genuinely love all of your lessons, dear Gill. Thank you, once again. I have learned a lot with you. Much love from Brazil! ✨❤️

[jackrussel]

I surely say that this lady is the best teacher in the world. It's never been that good and pleasent to watch videos on english ! My number 1!

[annapawlowska]

I find various English accents incredibly interesting. As a non-native speaker I often get confused about the characteristics of dialects but your explanation has just clarified "Cockney" for me!
Great video, much appreciated.

[vegamctavish]

Thanks a lot! I‘m German and especially the Th is quite a bit difficult for me, so Cockney is the perfect accent for me 😂

[Anas-licr]

Her class is simply to digest, love her.

[leestephenfitzpatrick]

Cockney was from East London, 40 years ago when I first went to work, you could tell which part of London they were from, a South London accent was very distinctly different from a cockney accent. It's a dying accent in east London, due to the fact that there are so many people from different ethnic backgrounds. You have a Highbrid West Essex accent, the sounds Mockney, like Jamie Oliver.

[andyfrancolive]

Definitively I love her. I´m serious. I´m learning a lot here. The best videos, teacher and heartwarming person. Word by word.