The Cockney dialect was long frowned upon by anyone who felt superior to this allegedly substandard, uneducated and vulgar manner of speaking. The Cockneys were considered stupid, poor and uneducated themselves. That was the prevailing attitude towards Cockney until very recently when the acceptance of the dialect and its speakers noticeably changed.
What is a Cockney, though? A true Cockney has to have been born within the sound of the Bow Bells of St Mary-le-Bow Church in London's East End. The Cockney distinguishes himself by staying true to his origins deeply linked to the dialect. Cockney is one of the most remarkable dialects all over the Englishspeaking world. Back in 1938, though, William Matthews, author of "Cockney - Past and Present",feared the decline of the dialect altogether because of the virtually non-existing acceptance in English society.
Cockney was mainly a working-class accent, but was also aquired by criminals who enjoyed the population's incapability to understand the accent and dialect. The dialect was eventually made a scapegoat for the corruption of Standard English. A lot has changed since. When having a look at popular culture today, one might have the impression that the perception of the dialect has revolutionised. Cockney even seems to be on the rise again, being promoted by films like "Lock, Stock" and "Two Smoking Barrels", "Snatch",and music by "The Streets" for instance.
In this paper, I want to examine in how far the recent obervations can be seen as a development of taking Cockney characteristics over into present-day English. By present-day English neither Received Pronunciation (RP) nor any other kind of Standard English (StE) is exclusively meant, but rather a broad definition of the English that can really be heard in England. Nonetheless, comparisons to RP and StE will be found because points of reference will be needed in the course of this paper. In the first part, Cockney will be contrasted to RP, for example, to illustrate its variation from the standard. The Cockney that forms the basis for the paper is the modern dialect. Like any other language it has undergone a great change since it was first recorded and to examine or only include several stages of its development would go beyond the scope of this paper.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Characteristics of the Cockney Dialect
2.1 Pronunciation
2.1.1 Vowels
2.1.2 Glottalling
2.1.3 H dropping
2.1.4 Dark l
2.1.5 Replacement of Dental Fricatives
2.2 Grammar
2.3 Cockney Rhyming Slang
3 Cockney Influence on Present-Day English
3.1 Possible Influences
3.1.1 Pronunciation
3.1.2 Grammar
3.1.3 Cockney Rhyming Slang
3.2 Cockney as the New Standard English?
4 Summary and Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the defining characteristics of the Cockney dialect—specifically its pronunciation, grammar, and rhyming slang—to analyze the extent to which these features have influenced contemporary English. The research aims to determine if Cockney can be considered an evolving force within present-day English and addresses the possibility of it shifting toward a new standard.
- Phonological analysis of Cockney vowel shifts and consonantal features.
- Investigation of unique Cockney grammatical structures and deviations from Standard English.
- Exploration of the creative mechanisms behind Cockney Rhyming Slang.
- Evaluation of the geographical and social spread of Cockney traits into broader English.
- Discussion on the potential future of Cockney as a legitimate linguistic variety.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3 Cockney Rhyming Slang
Cockney Rhyming Slang (CRS) is the most creative trait of the London dialect. Its principle is quickly explained. A speaker wants to express a certain word, but instead of using the standard term, he replaces it with a rhyme consisting of two parts, for instance butcher's hook for look. That was the way it was done until approximately 120 years ago (Wright 1981: 104). Since then, shortenings have become popular, probably because of a speech economical aspect (Wright 1981: 105).
The full slang term is still in use, but only employed when the speaker wants to lay special emphasis on his words (Wright 1981: 107). The shortening makes the dialect even less understandable for strangers, since it leaves out the rhyming part. “The sense is then transferred to the first part of the phrase and we have a meaning shift“ (Burridge 2004: 28), e.g. trouble for wife, derived from trouble and strife. The first part then only makes sense when you know the origin of the term. Hence, “[CRS] also provides a fig leaf for many of the dirty words of the day“ (Burridge 2004: 28).
New slang terms pop up all the time, and are often drawn from popular culture. Celebrities enjoy the doubtful honour of their names being used in CRS, for instance the American actor Brad Pitt whose name rhymes formidably with the taboo word shit (Puxley 1998: 12). Most of the time, the speakers are unconscious of the underlying vulgarity of what they say because the curse words are disguised in a seemingly harmless way, i.e. “friar from Friar Tuck – well I'll leave you to supply the rhyme here“ (Burridge 2004: 28). Some slang terms have their origins in place names, whereas others just have an ironic or amusing relation to the substituted word like bell ringers for fingers (Wright 1981: 98) or the Cape of Good Hope for soap (Wright 1981: 102).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides a background on the historical perception of Cockney and outlines the scope and methodology of the linguistic study.
2 Characteristics of the Cockney Dialect: Analyzes the specific phonological, grammatical, and lexical features that distinguish Cockney from Received Pronunciation.
3 Cockney Influence on Present-Day English: Investigates how specific Cockney traits have integrated into modern English and evaluates the dialect's future trajectory.
4 Summary and Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings and discusses the ongoing evolution of the dialect and its relationship with standard English.
Keywords
Cockney, English Linguistics, Dialect, Pronunciation, Glottal Stop, Rhyming Slang, Grammar, Received Pronunciation, Vowel Shift, H-dropping, Dark L, Dental Fricatives, Language Development, London English, Sociolinguistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
This paper explores the linguistic characteristics of the Cockney dialect and analyzes its potential influence on present-day English.
Which specific aspects of the Cockney dialect are analyzed?
The study focuses on three main pillars: its distinct pronunciation features (such as the glottal stop and vowel shifts), grammatical structures, and the creative use of Cockney Rhyming Slang.
What is the central research question?
The work investigates to what extent Cockney characteristics have been adopted into contemporary English and whether the dialect's influence suggests a path toward a new form of English.
What methodology is used in the study?
The research conducts a comparative analysis between Cockney and Received Pronunciation (RP) to identify variations and traces the spread of these features through historical context and linguistic observation.
What does the main body cover?
The main body details the phonological and grammatical traits of the dialect, explains the mechanisms of Cockney Rhyming Slang, and discusses how these elements have permeated broader English varieties.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include Cockney, dialect, linguistics, phonology, rhyming slang, grammar, and English language evolution.
Why is the "glottal stop" significant in this context?
The glottal stop is highlighted as a major consonantal feature of Cockney that has recently spread into many other varieties of English, including casual Standard English.
How does the author explain the use of "double negatives" in Cockney?
The author notes that while double negatives are considered "incorrect" in Standard English, in Cockney, they serve a linguistic purpose by emphasizing negative force within a sentence.
What is the "meaning shift" mentioned in the section on Cockney Rhyming Slang?
It refers to the process where the rhyming part of a slang phrase is dropped, leaving only the first word, which then carries the original meaning, making the slang harder for non-locals to understand.
- Quote paper
- Sarah Rusch (Author), 2006, Cockney. Its Characteristics and Its Influence on Present-Day English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/63070
