COCKNEY DIALECT NOTES Jeffrey Parker Assistant Professor of Theatre Metropolitan State University of Denver

BACKGROUND: Spoken in East London, the Cockney accent is spoken by those

born within hearing distance of Bows Bells, the bells rung at the church of St. Mary-

Le-Bow. This accent is typically associated with working class Londoners.

ORAL POSTURE: The jaw is a bit more open, and lowered. The lips stick out

slightly. The tongue root is pulled back, and the soft palate is lowered.

---------------------------------------------------------------- LISTENING SAMPLES Link to Soundcloud page with all RP and COCKNEY Links: https://soundcloud.com/parkervoice

Male speaker from London. http://www.dialectsarchive.com/england-59 Male speaker from near Cambridge. Light Cockney http://www.dialectsarchive.com/england-47 Samples from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fRY6J6lD7k Ray Winstone being interviewed by Jonathan Ross http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3wEYr-NKOM

DEFINING SOUNDS

1) Dropped Rs [] -> [] a. If an r follows a vowel at the end of a syllable, it is dropped.

i. I dont dare wear my hair like Mary ii. Lord no! The Cornish are more forthright!

b. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DROP ALL Rs!

2) Dropped Hs [hi] -> [i] a. If an h begins a word, it is frequently dropped

i. Hes had his head half taken off.

3) BATH-PALM Merger [] -> [] a. Several words in the Cockney dialect are pronounced with a

different /a/ sound. Whereas an American would use the /a/ of apple when saying Bath, a Cockney speaker would use the /a/ of palm or father.

b. Examples: Staff, Path, Ask, Clasp, After, Example, Banana i. My master passed the class at Bath

4) PRICE [a] -> []

a. The eye sound in Cockney is pronounced further back in the mouth, creating a darker sound

i. I try to like science, but sometimes I find it blinds me.

5) FACE [e] -> [a] a. The ey sound in Face is pronounced with the tongue lower in

mouth, making ey sound closer to eye i. This place makes Jane complain

6) BOUGHT [bt] -> [b]

a. When a t sound occurs at the end of a word, or an end of a syllable, it is often dropped.

i. I bet a bit of lettuce is better for Brett

7) MILLWALL [m w] -> [m oww] a. When an /l/ sound occurs at the end of a syllable or a word, the

sound is either dropped or pronounced as a slight, small /w/ i. I sought the salt at the music-hall musical.

8) WITH, THOUGHT [ -> f] [ -> v] [ -> d]

a. When th sounds occur, they sometimes manifest as /f/ or /v/ sounds i. I thought his brother was with him.