The most well-known dialect of London is called Cockney. It’s traditionally associated with the working class, particularly in the East End of London (the area around the River Thames). Cockney has two main features:
- Accent: This includes things like pronouncing “th” as “f” or “v” (like saying “fanks” for “thanks”) and dropping “h” sounds at the beginning of words.
- Cockney rhyming slang: This is a fun and creative use of language where a word or phrase is replaced with another that rhymes with it. For example, “stairs” might become “apples and pears.” This can be very confusing for outsiders!
Here are some resources to learn more about Cockney:
- Wikipedia article on Cockney: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney_%28disambiguation%29
- YouTube video on how to speak Cockney: [YouTube A Londoner Explains How to Speak COCKNEY (London accent)]