THE COCKNEY ACCENT

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This accent is one of the most picturesque in English speech, with its own words, its rhyming slang, and such a particular pronunciation, it is itself one of the main tourist attractions for those who visit London. Although it is not one of the easiest to speak or understand, you will really enjoy learning it.

Learn to understand the Cockney accent with ABA English. Since no accent is impossible for us to teach, we invite you to take one of our courses and have fun learning and listening to ABA Films in this attractive dialect.

COCKNEY ACCENT

In 1600 the cockney was exclusive to the inhabitants of the East End, the poorest neighborhood of London. For a long time it was looked down upon and associated with poverty, bad living, and lack of education, however, over time it spread to the rest of the working classes of London and today it is considered by many as the way real Londoners speak.

Its rhyming slang, one of its main attractions, was born in markets or prisons, so that customers or prison guards, respectively, would be outside of the conversations. Since then it has evolved with new rhymes and has become an attraction for those who visit London and a very useful tool for anyone wanting to do business in the city.

THE COCKNEY ACCENT

HOW IS THE COCKNEY ACCENT PRONOUNCED?

Some of the most distinctive features of this dialect are:
  • The sound of the ‘t’ as a glottal stop, making words like water sound like ‘wa’er’.
  • Just like in Spanish, the ‘h’ is silent, so words that in British English would start with an aspirated h, start directly with the vowel: house becomes ‘ouse’.
  • The ‘th’ sound that vibrates in the throat is replaced by ‘v’ and words like mother sound like ‘muvah’.
  • Instead of using my, East End speakers use me: Me leg is broken. (My leg is broken.)

Cockney also has its own words. Here are some for you to get to know:

Missus: girlfriend/wife

Fit: attractive

Dough: money

Finally, one of the most picturesque things, and also one of the greatest difficulties, is the rhyming slang: one phrase refers to another with a completely different meaning, but that rhymes. For example, Butcher’s hook (butcher’s hook) is look (look). Many times the rhyme is shortened and remains as Hey, mate, give us a butcher’s! (Hey, mate, give us a look!)

LEARN THE COCKNEY ACCENT WITH ABA ENGLISH

With the ABA Films, the main tool of our teaching method, you will be able to listen to this and many other types of English accents and you will also learn about the customs and traditions of the people who speak them. At ABA English we guarantee you learning through short films starring native actors, which will allow you to learn in context and understand people from different places.
THE COCKNEY ACCENT

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