Cockney English
Recieved Pronunciation vs Cockney English
In this video, someone compares the difference between received pronunciation and cockney english, showing the emphasis that RP has on pronouncing every syllable
BBC Episode: The Lost Cockney Voice
This BBC production gives background, history and examples of the Cockney accent and the direction in which the accent is heading now. [Published on 04-28-2017]
George 'Mockney' Osborne: Chancellor in Estuary accent shocker
Play videoGeorge Osborne, a prominent political figure, allegedly makes conscious changes to his speech patterns to 'connect more' with his audience.
Parody of Cockney dialect in Phineas and Ferb
Play videothis episode of the American TV series Phineas and Ferb features a parody of the Cockney dialect as perceived from an American perspective
Rhyming slang in Cockney English
I was looking at the etymology of the phrase "blowing a raspberry" and it turned out it comes from Cockney slang, raspberry
What Accents do the England Players Have?
Play videothis video looks at the different accents of the players of the English national team, examines the features and links them to geographic, socioeconomical, and cultural/race/ethnicity factors, and also intra-speaker variation
1972 Older Cockney Speaker Interviews
Play videoPub Interviews with older cockney speakers from 1972, talking about how things have changed for them in their communities. It's not a big stretch to imagine some of these folks were born in the late Victorian era (which ended 1901).
Michael Caine Using His Cockney Accent in an Alfie (1966) Monologue
Play videoIn Alfie, Michael Caine has stated that he used the natural cockney accent with which he regularly speaks, which is notable because he has said that there was incredible pressure on actors of his generation to adopt a "posh" way of speaking. Here is a monologue from early in the movie (monologue starts at about the 1:30 mark)
Family Guy - Stewie Griffin & Eliza Pinchley.
Play videoSome popular TV shows that are based on more offensive humor are great places to find examples of problems with language such as hegemony and accents. This example shows how the american baby is upset with the thick British accent of the girl and demands that she learns the proper accent and pronunciation of English. It is a bit ironic that he too has a bit of a British accent but continues to throw insults about her language ideologies and the accent associated with the way she speaks the same language he is speaking. This example shows how even when groups use hegemony to get others to conform to their ideals that they are a bit ignorant to the flaws of their own ideals and would rather focus on others "wrong doings".
British Accents: Call Centre English
Play videoSome great discussion about language ideologies, and Diglossia, two variants of the same language.
Ducks quack in regional accents
A researcher known as "Dr. Quack" reports that recordings of "Cockney" ducks from London differ in their quacking from "Cornish" ducks. [Published on 06-01-2004]
My Fair Lady: The Rain in Spain
Play videoActress Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, demonstrating features of the Cockney accent, including h-dropping and the diphthongization of /e/.
Michael Caine: An Accent that Broke Class Barriers
Play videoA 2009 Times Talks interview with actor Michael Caine, who is a native speaker of Cockney English