The Southern area: the London area (RP), Cockney (East End London) and Estuary English.

For information about Received Pronunciation, please click here.

Cockney Rhyme Slang

Cockney Rhyme slang evolved in the part of London that is now known as East End. There are several stories about the Cockney area, that was situated near the Church of St Mary le Bow. The part of the city that could hear the ‘Bow Bells’ – the church bells – toll was called Cockney London. Originally, the term Cockney was used by people from outside London to indicate Londoners in a negative way. A specific way of talking the Cockney dialect is the Rhyming Slang. 

Some believe that the Rhyming Slang started to appear in the 19^th century and that it was the dialect of criminals, since it was used as a coded language. It is said that the police had to learn the specific dialect and because of publications the tongue became known to many others.

Cockney is called Rhyming Slang because of the suggestion of rhyme. One of the words in the sentence is replaced by another, for instance:

• Butchers - Rhyming Slang , short for for 'butchers hook' meaning 'look'⁸
• China - Rhyming Slang, short for 'China plate','mate'⁸
• Trouble and strife - Rhyming Slang for 'wife'⁸

This video footage is supposed to give an example of Cockney Rhyming Slang; English humour involves language as well...

Estuary English

Estuary English is the form of English widely spoken in and around London and, more generally, in the southeast of England — along the river Thames and its estuary⁹. The term was first used in the 1980’s. It indicated that ‘features of London regional speech seemed to be rapidly spreading throughout the counties adjoining the river (especially Essex and Kent) and beyond’⁹.

Of course there are many discussions about the change of the language, but it is believed that Estuary English is going to be the ´Received Pronunciation´ of tomorrow; ‘What seems to be happening, however, is the gradual replacement of one kind of standard by another -- a process which was characterized by several newspaper commentators in 1993 as the linguistic cornerstone of a future classless British society’⁹.

Please watch this video footage, to get an idea of the Estuary dialect, although it is slightly exaggerated by actress Catherine Tate. Enjoy!

The dialects and accents of the London area are of course influenced by the languages of the people that settled on the British islands in history. The London tongue has developed in a different way though. Being the capital of a country, London is traditionally the city where the Queen resides and where the Court is settled. The presence of influential institutes has had its effect on the language as well.