Cockney Translator
Searching for a cockney or two? Perhaps you are, but perhaps you have no idea what cockney is. Well, try and guess before the answer is handed over to you. Since we are in search of a translator, the logical assumption is that cockney is a language. Is that what you guessed? If so, congrats! We are going to go on to discuss the nature of cockney, and to provide you with some cockney translators.
What Is Cockney?
A lot of people, when they think of Cockney, think of a rather vulgar format of the British English language. However, there actually is a history to this language, as well as some rules that govern it. Before you go to criticize Cockney or any other language, you should really look a little bit more into the language, origins, conventions, and the words before you decide to make a judgment about it.
Cockney is a dialect of British English. It originated in London; however, it is generally associated with the working class living on the outskirts of the city, as opposed to the population of the city. However, interestingly enough, “true” Cockney is really only associated with those in that London area. People outside of the region might have a Cockney accent, yet it is not considered to be a true one. Indeed, there are variances in the language.
According to the “rule” of Cockney, an individual must be born within hearing distance of the bells of Saint Mary le Bow in Cheapside in London to be considered a true “Cockney” individual.
Features of Cockney
Some people think that cockney is just jumbled English; however, that is not the case. There are some very specific features that make Cockney different:The sound of many vowels is said in a deeper tone, and they are drawn together, as opposed to said separately. For example, mouth is pronounced “mauf.”
The letter t often disappears from words. For example, water becomes wa’er and city becomes ci’y.The letter h is often dropped at the beginning of words. For example, house becomes ‘ouse. One of the most interesting features is the cockney rhyming slang. They combine two words into one. For example, “apples and pears” becomes stairs, and “plate of meat” becomes “feet.”
Cockney Translations
- Here’s a list of some standard English words translated into Cockney.
- How are you: 'a 're ya
- What time is it: Wot nickle and dime is it
- How old are you: 'a old 're ya
- I went to the store yesterday: I went ter the store yesterday
- We had a party last night: We 'ad a Moriarty Present and Past night
- Next Tuesday is the first day of October: Next Tuesday is the Damien Hirst day of October
Cockney Translator
Check out a cockney translator to try out some words and phrases for yourself!