Cockney

Cockney represents much-localized, non-standard English. It is the working-class accent used in London (especially in the East End).

 

Major changes taking place in RP (cockneyfication of RP):

1. Weak /ı/ is replaced by schwa /ə/ in unstressed postions: qual ə ty, happ ə ly, maj ə sty, etc.

2. /t/ acquires glottal pronunciation before consonants: foo t ball, qui t e good, par t ly, etc.

3. /l/ is vocalized (is pronounced like /ʊ/ or /ɔ/): mi ɔ k, myse ɔ f, mid ʊ, etc.

4. /r/ not present in spelling appears in intervocalic position after mid or low vowels: the idea r of it, I saw r it, a comma r in, etc.

5. The coalescence and dropping of jod: /t/ + /j/ = /ʧ/, /d/ + /j/ = /ʤ/ (affricalization): education, gradual, virtue, statue, etc.; /s/ + /j/ = /ʃ/, /z/ + /j/ = /ʒ/ (assibilation): issue, hosier, etc.; dropping of /j/: tune /tu:n/, duke /du:k/, super, etc.

6. Smoothing (tightening / reduction) of the sequences /аıə/, /аυə/ (reduced to a long open vowel): you are /jɒ:/, power /pɑ:/, our /ɑ:/, fire /fɑ:/, etc.; /υə/ → /ɔ:/: sure /ʃɔ:/, tour /tɔ:/, etc.

Nuclear / Terminal / Kinetic Tones

 

The nucleus (pl. nuclei /-iai/) is the stressed syllable in a syntagm, which is more emphasized than the others and takes a nuclear tone.

 

The Low / Mid Fall   sounds definite, complete, final, firm, weighty, serious, emotionally neutral, cool, reserved.	The High Fall   sounds final, light, brisk, interested, personally concerned, involved, surprised; in general questions – insistent and business-like.
The Low Rise   sounds non-final, friendly, polite, interested, encouraging, in special questions sometimes surprised and puzzled.	The High / Medium Rise   sounds light, airy, casual, echoing, repeating, calling for repetition; with ascending scales – disapproving, disbelieving and threatening.
The Fall-Rise   sounds: in statements – emotional, contradicting, not sure, reproachful, apologetic; in questions – insistent, pleading; in imperatives – warning.	The Rise-Fall   sounds impressed, awed, self-satisfied, challenging.
The Level Tones   sound non-final, show the expectation of continuation.

Scales

Intonation Pattern	Meaning
The sliding scale with the high fall	sounds serious, concerned, weighty, edifying, instructive and scolding
The sliding scale with the low fall	sounds weighty but formal expresses concern and personal involvement
The sliding scale with the fall-rise	sounds weighty, implicatory; concerned, reproachful, hurt, grudgingly admitting, persuasively reassuring, regretful; Questions sound pleading. Statements sound persuasively reassuring, plaintive, pleading, apologetic, regretful, appreciative. Special and generalquestions sound plaintive, pleading, despairing, long-suffering, warm. Imperatives sound plaintively or reproachfully pleading, persuading. Exclamations sound intensely encouraging, appreciative, protesting.
The scandent scale with the high fall	sounds surprised
The scandent scale with the rise-fall	sounds encouraging
The scandent scale with the low fall	sounds self-satisfied, playful, joyful and delighted; irritable
The scandent scale with the low rise	sounds encouraging further conversation, non-final, non-categoric; in statements – soothing, reassuring, sometimes surprised, disbelieving; in general questions – genuinely interested; in special questions – friendly, sympathetically interested, sometimes puzzled, wondering; in imperatives (requests) – soothing, reassuring, encouraging; in exclamations – friendly, airy, casual
The low level scale with the low fall	sounds cool, calm, detached, reserved, sometimes unsympathetic and disapproving
The high level scale with the high fall	sounds final, categoric, light, airy, brisk and interested; conveys personal concern and involvement. In special questions it sometimes sounds very insistent and business-like.
The high level scale with the fall-rise	Statements sound appealing to the listener to continue with the topic of conversation; expressing gladness, regret, surprise. Special and generalquestions sound very emotive. Imperatives sound reassuring, pleading. Exclamations sound sympathetic, encouraging.
The descending stepping scale with the rise-fall	sounds censorious, antagonistic, disclaiming responsibility.
The descending stepping scale with the low rise	sounds in statements self-confident, disbelieving, reproachful; in special questions it is cold, business-like, challenging; in general questions it is disapproving, insistent, interested, concerned; in imperatives it sounds calmly patronizing.
The descending stepping scale with the fall-rise	Statements with this pattern sound grudgingly admitting, contradicting, dissenting, reproachful, apologetic; questions sound insistent, pleading, plaintive; imperatives are urgently warning.
The descending stepping scale with the low fall	sounds definite, complete, final, firm; categorical, weighty, serious; sometimes unsympathetic, defying and scolding.
The descending stepping scale with the high fall	sounds final, categoric, light, airy, brisk, interested, conveys personal concern or involvement. Very often it has some edifying, scolding and instructive effect; it can also have persuasive appeal.
The ascending scale with the high fall	sounds protesting, querulous, irritated, disapproving. In special questions, imperatives and exclamations, this intonation pattern can sound with notes of unpleasant, critical or affronted surprise.