Cockney is a dialect of English spoken in East London, associated with working-class citizens. Concerns have arisen that it may disappear due to multicultural influences. Cockney rhyming slang is a unique aspect of the dialect, but it can be difficult to understand and imitate.
Cockney is a dialect of English spoken in the East End of London, although the area where it is spoken has shrunk considerably. It is typically associated with working-class citizens of London, who were called cockneys, and contains several hallmarks known to many English speakers, as the dialect is quite famous. Some linguistics students have become concerned that the Cockney dialect may drop out of spoken English, due to the influence of multicultural immigrants in London who have added their own regional slang and speech patterns to the dialect.
The term “cockney” comes from a Middle English word, cokenei, meaning “city dweller”. It probably derives from a medieval term referring to the minimum of a litter or clutch of eggs, which was used pejoratively to refer to people living in the then crowded, disease-ridden, dirty cities. The distinctive accent of working-class Londoners, particularly those living in the East End, was noted by observers as early as the 17th century.
Key features of the Cockney dialect include the dropping of the letter “H” from many words, the use of double negatives, contractions, and vowel shifts that dramatically change the way words sound. Also, many consonants or combinations are replaced with other sounds, as in the case of “frushes” for “thrushs”. In some cases, the final consonant of a word is also dropped, such as “ova” for “over”. Many of the traits of Cockney speech suggest the lower classes to some observers; for example, the use of “me” to replace “my” in many sentences is usually associated with an imperfect understanding of the English language.
One of the most unique aspects of cockney speech is cockney rhyming slang. While rhyming slang is not used as widely as some imaginative individuals might imagine, some aspects of it are certainly used in everyday speech. In rhyming Cockney slang, a word is replaced with a phrase, usually containing a word that rhymes with the original word, such as “dog and bones” for “telephone”. Often, a word in the sentence is used as a shorthand to refer to the initial word, as in the case of “porkies” for “lies”, derived from the rhyming slang “porkies and pies”.
Cockney speech can be extremely difficult to understand, especially for Americans, as it is littered with word substitutions thanks to rhyming slang, cultural references, and changes in vowels and consonants that can make words unintelligible to the listener. Like other unique dialects, a thick Cockney accent can sound almost like another language. Care should also be taken when attempting to imitate it, as the Cockney dialect can be very slippery, especially when it comes to using rhyming slang, and native users may be confused or amused by a non-native’s attempts.
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