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. But for some reason
Cockney speakers don't bother to pronounce "th" like that; they either... Depending on
what the word is, they either say: "f" or "v". So, instead of putting the tongue behind
the top teeth for: "th", "th", "th", they're just putting their top teeth on their bottom
lip: "f", "f", "f", or: "v", "v", "v" when they say those words. So what I've done, I've written some words
phonetically, and you might like to try to guess what the actual word is. If I say: "fings",
"things". If a Cockney person says: "things", and the "f" is replacing the "th" sound, then
it's really: "fings". Okay? "Things", so: "fings". And you will often hear Cockney speech
written down like this. It would actually be written this way to suggest the Cockney
accent, so it's useful for when you're reading things as well, or reading fings as well. Okay.
So that's "things", "fings". And similarly with this one: "fink", "I fink". "I'm not sure,
but I fink." So: "I think". Oops, sorry, I'll just repair that. There we are. Sorry.
Okay, so: "think", "think", so that's really "th" there. "I think". Okay? Now, this one's interesting because this is
a word when it's spelt with an "f": "free", as in "freedom". "Are you free?" Or: "We're
free", "We want to be free to do what we like." So, that is a word in normal spelling, but
the confusion is that a Cockney person might say: "free" when they actually mean the number
"three", "three". So: "free", they could be saying the number "three", okay? Then this one: "wiv". So, instead of the "v",
if you put "th", you've got: "with", "with". So: "wiv", "wiv" like that; not "with". Right.
This one: "wever", "wever". So the "v" is in the middle, there, so make that "th": "wether".
So that could be either that kind of the "weather": "Is it raining? Is it sunny?" Or it could
be that kind of "whether": "Whether or not we go. Whether or not". So: "wever", "wever",
rather than "weather/whether". Okay? This one... Can you guess this one? "Uva",
"uva". If you say: "other", "other", you get... But I was spelling it phonetically, so it's
not so easy to recognize. "Other", "other", "uva", "uva". Okay? And, finally, for this
first one... Again, this is a word as it's written: "fought", it's the past tense of the
verb "to fight". "Yesterday I fought somebody. I had a fight with somebody", but it's... If
somebody... If a Cockney person says this, they may mean not they "fought", but they
"thought". They thought something; they were thinking. They thought. So, that's, again, like:
"free" and "three" - "fought" and "thought" can be ambiguous; it could mean one thing or
something else. Okay. So that's that one. So that's one of the
main differences. The next one is when there's a letter "t"
often in the middle of a word, but it's not pronounced in the Cockney accent. This is
called the glottal stop. The glottis is in the throat, here. So if you don't pronounce
a "t" and you've got this word here, if you think of the missing "t", that word is: "water",
but instead of saying "water", in the Cockney accent it's: "wa'er", "wa'er". "Uh, uh, uh", and
something happens in the throat. So, instead of making the "t" sound: "T, t, t, t, t",
with your tongue in your mouth, you're going: "Uh, uh, uh", down here in your throat. "Wa'er",
"wa'er", "wa'er". So that's why I've put the apostrophe there to show the
missing "t", so that's "wa'er". Do you know this one: "ma'er", "ma'er"? So
that would be double "t": "matter". "Does it matter? It doesn't matter". "Ma'er", "ma'er",
"ma'er", "ma'er", like that. Okay? Do you recognize this word: "be'er", "be'er"? "Are
you feeling be'er?" So, again, double "t": "better", "better". "Be'er",
"be'er", like that. Okay. This word, probably quite easy because it's
a longer word with just one letter missing: "computer". So that's "computer": "compu'er",
"compu'er". Some people... Some Cockney speakers are more... Have a stronger accent than others,
so some Cockney speakers, if they're working in an office, they might say: "computer" because
it sounds maybe more professional. But some who are very relaxed about their accent, very
informal, they might say: "compu'er", "compu'er". So, that's another one to listen out for.
"Compu'er". This one, can you guess what this word is?
So: "la'er", "la'er" is: "later", "later". So if you say: "See you later. See you later",
"See you la'er". Or some people just say: "La'er. La'er", and it means: "See you later."
Okay? And then, finally, for this one, one "t" missing, so: "reality". If you've heard of
reality television, which is not very real, to be honest; the ones I've seen, it's not
really reality, but it's about real people, but in rather strange situations sometimes. But
that would be pronounced: "reali'y", "reali'y", rather than: "reality". Okay. So that's
the glottal stop replacing the "t" sound. Okay, so next one: The letter "l", which if
you make the sound of the "l": "la, la, la, la, la", your tongue touches the roof of your
mouth: "la, la, la, la, la", and your mouth is open slightly, depending what vowel sound.
"Le, le, le, le, le; loo, loo, loo, loo, loo". You'll have a different shape of your mouth,
but it will be slightly open for: "la, la, la". But the Cockney accent... Can you imagine?
You couldn't make it up, could you, really? You couldn't invent this, but the "l" sound
is changed to a "wa, wa, wa, wa", like that, like the letter "w". "Wa". So, this word here... That "w" is correct,
that's part of the real spelling, but this "w" is representing a double "l", so that
word is: "well", "well". "Are you well? Are you feeling well?" But in the Cockney accent,
it's: "wew", "wew", "wew". So the tongue doesn't do any "l" sound inside the mouth. The lips are
just pulled back together again. You start with "w", with this word: "wew", "wew", like
that, and the tongue is just sitting in the mouth doing nothing. Okay. So, the opposite
of "well" is "ill" or: "ill", "ill", "ill", "ill", "ill", and I'm using my tongue, there.
"Ill", "ill", "ill". But if you say it like a Cockney speaker, it's: "iw", "iw", "iw".
"You're looking iw. You're looking iw today", "iw". So, like that. Okay, next one. So, the "w" becomes an "l",
so that word is: "film", "film". "La, la, la". "Film". But in the Cockney accent, it's:
"fiwm", "fiwm", "fiwm", "fiwm", like that, pulling the lips together. Right. This one:
"w" becomes "l". "Deal". Negotiating a deal; an agreement. "A deal", but in Cockney, it's:
"deaw", "deaw", "deaw", like that. Okay. Can you guess what this word is, if you think
of an "l" here instead of the "w"? "Built", so it would be: "b-u-i-l-t", when you build
something; to build. "It was built in a certain year." So: "biwt", "biwt", "biwt", like that,
instead of: "built", "built". And, finally, something that you drink, not with a "w", but
with an "l": "milk", "milk". But the Cockney accent, it's pronounced: "miwk",
"miwk", like that. "Miwk". Okay. Okay, so on to number four. This is where
the letter "h" at a beginning of a word is dropped; not pronounced. So: "ha", the "ha"
when we blow air out of our mouth to make the "ha" sound. So: "'and", the apostrophe
shows the missing "h". "'and" is "hand". "'im" is "him". "Him, over there. That man, him". "'ello"
is "hello". "'ed" is "head". So: "h-e-a-d", "'ed", "head". "'er", that's a woman over
there. "Have you seen...? Have you seen 'er"? "'er", instead of "her". And then if you need
some food, you're "'ungry" instead of "hungry". Okay? "'ungry". So, that's fairly simple;
just missing the "h" at the beginning of the words. And number five: "ing", the "ing" sound at
the end of a lot of... Mostly verbs. The "g" is dropped, so you just get "in": "workin'",
"cleanin", "readin'", "cookin'", "talkin'". So, not: "talking", but "talkin'", no bother
to do the "ing" sound in the throat. Okay. Right. And then number six. Instead of... You may
have found words beginning "s-t-r" difficult to pronounce when you're learning English-"str",
"str", "str"-because it's a combination of sounds. But Cockney speakers, some of them
actually make it even more difficult, really, by putting a "sh", "shtr", "shtr", like that.
So, instead of: "street", you get: "shtreet". Instead of: "strike"... When people go on
strike, they stop working; they're protesting about their employment rights or something
like that. They're stopping work. A strike, industrial strike is pronounced:
"shtrike", "shtrike". Okay? If something looks rather "strange", it's:
"shtrange", "shtrange", like that. If someone's very "strong", a strong man or woman: "shtrong".
I'm slightly exaggerating because I'm not used to saying it, so... But that's how I've
heard people say it: "shtrong". And here it is in the middle of a word: "illushtrate",
"illushtrate". An example, to illustrate. So: "illushtrate", "illushtrate". So, I don't
know why, but that's another feature of Cockney. Okay, and then we have a few little things
that happen, sort of non-standard elements. So, this "ain't", which you may have heard,
especially in... If you're in the U.K., if someone says: "I ain't", or "you ain't", or
"we ain't", or "they ain't", it means: "I am not", "it isn't", "he isn't", "she isn't",
"we aren't", "we are not", "they aren't". So, "ain't" can be used for all the pronouns;
first, second, and third pronouns; singular and plural. In that sense it's nice and easy,
because you don't have to think: "am", or "is", or "are"? It's the same for all of them:
"ain't", but it's a non-standard form. Okay. So that's used a lot. This is a kind of abbreviation. So if you
say: "isn't it", "Oh, it's hot today, isn't it?" you might hear it abbreviated to "innit".
"It's hot... It's hot today, innit? It's hot today, innit?" "Innit". So, "innit" often appears
at the end of a statement with a question mark, expecting someone to answer to see
if they agree with you. "Innit", "innit". So here's another one, another contraction:
"dunno", "dunno", which is for... Short for: "don't know". This isn't only the Cockney
accent. I remember as a child, and I come from further north, I used to say: "dunno",
so other parts of the country also use this. But it's not... It doesn't sound very... It
has a way of sounding not very enthusiastic if somebody says: -"Dunno. Dunno." -"What are
you doing at the weekend?" -"Dunno. Dunno." Not... No interest; no enthusiasm. So: "Dunno"
sounds a bit not very polite, not very interested, not very enthusiastic or positive;
it's a bit negative-sounding. Okay. And then, finally, a kind of grammatical switch
where instead of saying to someone: "Why were you late?" It should be "were": "Why were
you late?" A lot of Cockney speakers say: "Why was you late?" So it's the wrong form
of the verb "to be", "was/were" in the past: "Why was you...? Why was you late?" It should
be: "Why were you late?" And then if the person replied to explain why they was late... Why
they were late, they might say: "We was waiting for the bus." And, again: "We was" is not
the correct form; it should be: "We were... We were waiting for the bus, and it didn't
come, or it broke down." So, switching... Changing "were" to "was" in both cases, there,
is one of the other things that happens. Okay, so that's an overview of some main aspects
of the Cockney accent. There are other things, like slightly different vowel sounds, but
that's a lot more... That would take a much longer lesson and it's harder to explain, I
think, as well. So... But listen out for Cockney speakers and see if you recognize
some of these features when they're speaking. There might be... Some American films, you might
have a Cockney speaker playing the villain, for example. Often the British actor is hired
to play the villain in an American film, and sometimes they have a Cockney accent. So...
Or they can have a RP accent as well, and they can be an even worse villain.
So, there you are. Okay, so finally, just one little example of
a title of a musical... A theatre production which came... Started in 1960, or it appeared
on the London stage in 1960. And this is the title, the exact title: "Fings Ain't Wot They
Used T'Be". And there's a song as well you can listen to; the song of the title. I don't
think I can sing it because I think it's still in copyright, so I don't want to... I don't
want us to get us into trouble, but the title I can give you without the music: "Fings Ain't
Wot"-meaning "What"-"They Used T'Be". Things Are Not What They Used To Be; times have changed,
as times always do. Things change as time goes on. So that's the title of a very popular
musical that was on the London stage in 1960, and some of the songs from it are still very
famous, especially the title song. So, see if you can find that to listen to.
Right. So, I hope that's been an interesting lesson for
you. And do go to the website: www.engvid.com, where there will be a quiz on this subject.
And thanks for watching; see you again soon. Bye for now.
