Learn about the COCKNEY ENGLISH accent & dialect
Whether you watch British TV or are travelling throughout England, you have likely heard the Cockney accent, which is one of the many English dialects found throughout the country. This accent may be difficult to understand at first. To help you, I've prepared a lesson on the main features of the London-based Cockney accent as well as some of its non-standard grammatical aspects. We will look at pronunciation features along with vocabulary and slang found particularly in Cockney English. I'll also tell you a little bit about the history and social context of Cockney English. After watching the video, you will have the tools you need to better recognize and understand this dialect. You can test your knowledge with the quiz: www.engvid.com/cockney-englis...
Next, watch this video about the RP accent (also known as BBC English): • The RP English Accent ...
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. […]
When should you stop using the glottal stop? Learn how to put the "t" back in your pronunciation in my new video: kzhead.info/sun/ereznLyieGSJjKM/bejne.html
You're the most adorable teacher in the world👒
I agree.
agree!!
That's true!❤
Yes!
Indeed
Dear Lady, Thanks for this lesson, this is pure gold. Quality information, easy to understand, clear pronunciation! We need more teachers like you! ❤
A lot of other people miss some stuff or just go through it so fast, but this is quality right here. I need to learn Cockney for the school play and I think this is gonna help so much.
Agreed, and proper English subtitles as well!
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,
fank you
Rightly saying
Thx mate
Stay away from my screan ET, or learn how to communicate with other people leaving on Eart planet.
Fanks a lot mate I'm not cockney n I'm learning yorkshire but it's almost the same innit?
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 ^^
I totally agree with you ! 😊
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.
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!!!
oh, hi! I am from Russia, Moscow. Where are you from exactly in Brazil? From which city I mean? Have you already finished your study in University? What the specialization have you got/what is your profession? You know, I adore brazilian variant of portugues language:). And don`t like portugues people speak in Portugal. Adore your brazilian movies, novelas, music (Ivete Sangalo, Rita Lee, Marilia Mendonca, Pitty and etc.), like your country, although I've never been in Brazil yet). So, do you also like british accent?) If you want and if you have time, we could speak with you about anything you want, I would be glad to have conversation with you. So, let me know if you want to communicate with me.
All your classes are amazing
I'm Brazilian and I spoke cockney accent in my entire life and don't knew! LoL loooooove you teacher
didn't know
That was cockney grama.
Lol.
Your lesson is really easy to understand, very helpful. A thousand thanks!
Here again. And the closed caption or subst´s are very well. Great content at all!
Her class is simply to digest, love her.
I genuinely love all of your lessons, dear Gill. Thank you, once again. I have learned a lot with you. Much love from Brazil! ✨❤️
Thank you, very much Gill. If I had known all these before I started to live in East London.
The best teacher ever.Thank you so much for your videos!
I love learning English. Many thanks for your videos.
This is interesting to know anyway, thank you Jill!
Gill*
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 .
Exactly:) esse sh é muito carioca e um pouco paraense tbm
Kkkkk aham!
So Portugese is cockney?
You are the best teacher in KZhead. Love and Greetings!
Thank you so much for teaching us. Gratitude for posting
Ms.Jill, you have the most beautiful English that I' ve ever heard.
Definitively I love her. I´m serious. I´m learning a lot here. The best videos, teacher and heartwarming person. Word by word.
yaaaaay a new video!! thank you soo much for your efforts. you are very lovely!!)
Gill covers the topic of accents in a very succinct and clear way
Love your videos Gill, very instructive. Keep it up!
You are a wonderful teacher. Thank you!!!!
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.
I really love your videos Ms. Jill, i enjoy watching it. I like the way how you teach accents. More videos Ms. Jill, I'm from Philippines.
Thank you very much Gill, I always enjoy your videos, thank you for what you do, bless
Great lesson! I see ain't, naffing, somefing, etc often in lyrics. I love songs, so I wanna be able to understand them more.
Brilliant explanation (coming from a cockney speaking Lundoner fru and fru). You got it completely right.
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!
Hello Gill, thank you for your lesson. Fascinating and very beneficial for us.
Thanks a lot grandma for teaching your childreen arround the world to knows British Cockney accent and very appreciated
You are just amazing! I love your teaching style! Greetings from Turkey!🇹🇷♥️
Ma'am, I did enjoy this video and found it so useful. I wish you would release more videos in line with the Cockney Accent. Thank you ma'am :)
Thank you so much. I'm living in Southeastern of London and this video helps me a lot.
what a lucidity.. awesome. Thanks a lot.
Très intéressant! Merci beaucoup Gill😗😗😗
This is an interesting class, excellent explanations and very useful notes. Thank you
Watching all of your videos again, because I love the way you teach
Thank you very much for this lesson. It is really useful for me because I love how Cockney accent sounds but it is very difficult for me to understand it well. Greetings from Argentina!
It's a secret which l hadn't knew for a long time! You are a kind fairy who helps us to understand magical native people! Thank You very much!
trust me , theres nothing magical about us
Gracias has hecho muy bien porque yo estaba esperando algo asi.
Simply the perfect English teacher.
Glad you mentioned Michael Caine up front. Americans would instantly recognize that accent. Besides his movie characters, he's also famous for his cokney jokes on late night talk shows in America.
Great teacher,I really love her videos.
you are the ideal teacher!
Thanks for your lessons... We appreciate a lot
this helped me so much omg exactly what I was looking for !
I absolutely love this so cool I could watch an hour of this
7:15 so cute I can't
I love your videos! Your English is perfect clear!
I love you soooo much , fanks a lot to the lesson , i hope you will give more information about cockney accent , I’m really enjoying, perhaps I will replay this lesson again again
Brilliant lessons!! Thank you so much
Very nice class, Gill ! Cheers from Brazil ! 🌺💋
I loved it! Thank u.
Love the way she teach n her clear English. i indonesian n I have learned a lot from her video. Love you.
Thank you very much granny. You helped me a lot.
The first lecture seeing about this . was really useful .. thank you Gill
Thank you so much, Gill to introduce me with such an interesting topic on 'Cockney Accent', thank you once again, God bless you, and love from India.
I’m watching this as a New Zealander because apparently cockney is the closest accent to ours in the UK, and by Jove! You could throw this lady right in our country and I doubt anyone would bat an eye!
This is amazing. I admire your peace. Blessings.
that`s really interesting! thank you Gill!
Thank you so much for this lesson ^-^!!
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!
Love watching videos on my accent, they are very entertaining.
I've listened some teachers said /free/ instead of /three/, now I have the explanation. Thanks you so much.
My 6th grade teacher corrected a kid for that.
Thank you very much, very interesting lessons, easy to learn, bacause of your good (clear , ordered) comunication.
Such a marvelous, fantastic teacher nothing fancy coming direct to the point b'cause of teacher like her we are able to learn impossible things in minutes... Hail gill...
thank you so much for this lesson!!!
Cockney was from East London, 40 years ago when I first went to work, you could tell which part of London they were from, depending 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.
Thank you million time man you're better teacher continue. You are helping more student's in the world Keep going maaam
You probably mean _'mam'_ , not _'man'_ , don't you? :)
Thank you!!! You have helped me a lot!! ❤❤❤❤❤
Hi Gill 😊 I love your lessons, you're a wonderful teacher. Can you make a video about northern U. K. accents (such as Geordie, Lancashire, Scouse, Mancunian etc...)?
A wonderful lesson, once again. Filled up a lots of blanks, even in US English
Very useful, Really love this content ♥
It is so helpful really, more accent video please on Liverpool accept
Thank you for this lesson it is verry clear really like the accent thanks for that
Thanks a lot. I follow you from Morocco. I dicide to watch all your videos.
Thanks a lot i did like the sounds of your pronunciation
Wow dr teacher u played a blinder.Its very useful....Thanks
really helpful...Enjoying that daily
Hi, Miss Gill, I'm Ayya from Indonesia, southeast Asia. I really love the way you teach. Love you much 😘
you are brilliant Gill!
It's interesting for me. I understand you a bit but I learn English very intensively. I'll watch this video when I'll understand you better.
Thank you very much.
The cutest teacher in the world. And my favourite ♥️
Wonderful explanation!!, thank you so much for your help, is very traumatic for me not to understand this kind of accents. Thanks a million!!
I like the way you present the lesson...Your English is very clear and understandable....Greetings from Algeria
She's like a little fairy!! She's sooo cute!! Luv her
Your explanation made me more understand about Cockney Accent. fank you so much, Gill. :)
Thank you so much for things lesson!
Nice, thanks so much! Your lessons help me a lot understanding and learning to speak English accents. Ever since I've got a strong Bavarian accent when speaking my mothertongue I thought it would be appropriate to also develop some kind of accent when speaking English. :D
Thank you Gill
This was very helpful!!!
thank you teacher !
Ive only just watched this one :) Super interesting as always! Not sure if you realised, but the str becoming shtr is what we do in standard german - even if it's spelled Straße - it is pronounced Shtraße, same goes for almost every S + consonant in the beginning of the word :)
Epic. Thank you ma’am!
It was pithy and super useful! Thanks a lot!