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Examples of Cockney English

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Do what?
//dʉ wɒʔ//

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Get out of it!

Don’t try to deceive me!/Pull my leg! Stop joking!

//geʔ ɑːʔ əv ɪʔ//

Notice the three examples of glottal stop /ʔ/ in one sentence!

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Giz a butcher’s at than then will you?

Let me have a look at that then, will you?

//gɪz ə ˈbʊtʃəz əʔ ðæʔ ðen wil jə//

The sequence /gɪz/ is a common way of saying give us which actually means give me. The use of us for we is common in many varieties of non-standard English in Britain.

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He ain’t got the bottle to do it, has he?

He doesn’t have the courage to do it, does he?

//i ʌɪn gɒʔ ðə ˈbɒʔəl tə dʉː ɪʔ/æz i//

The form ain't is common in non-standard British and American English. It can mean has not or is not.
Notice the glottal stop between vowels in bottle and h-dropping in has he.

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I like butter.

//ɑɪ lɑɪk ˈbæʔə//

Notice the glottal stop between vowels in butter.

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My brother’ s something else.
My brother is incredible (pejorative).

//mɑɪ ˈbræ̙vəz sæ̙mfɪŋ els//

Notice that the th in brother is pronounced /v/ and the th in something is pronounced /f/.

The first vowels in brother and something are pronounced a little more open than /ʌ/, almost like an /æ/.

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Have you heard the news about the match?

//æv jʉ ɜːd ðə nʉːz əbæʊʔ ðə mætʃ//

Just like American English there is no /j/ in news. It rhymes with whose. Compare it with RP /njuːz/.

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You in a spot of bother, then? You’d better get it sorted like, ain’t you?

Are you in trouble. You had better find a solution.

//jʉ ɪn ə spɒʔ əv ˈbɒvə ðen/lʌɪk/jʉːd ˈbeʔə geʔ ɪt sɔːtɪd lʌɪk/ʌɪnjə//

Notice the diphthong in like and ain't. Cockney diphthongs are wider than RP diphthongs, that is, the distance between the first and second part of the diphthong is greater.

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What’s up, mate? Cat got your tongue, has it?

What is wrong my friend? Lost for words?

//wɒssæ̙p/mʌɪʔ/kæʔ gɒʔ jə tæ̙ŋ/æz ɪʔ//

Notice that there is no /t/ in what's -this is typical of Cockney.

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That’s enough, innit?

That’s enough, isn’t it?

//ðæs ɪnæ̙f/ˈɪnɪʔ/

The tag innit does not change. In Standard British English it does. For example, in Standard British English we say: He does, doesn't he? In Cockney it would be: He does, innit?