Can a LONDONER Teach TEXAS Girl How to Speak COCKNEY? | My un-Fair Lady

Summary

In this entertaining video from LetThemTalkTV, Gideon challenges Natasha, an American digital nomad from Texas, to learn to speak Cockney. The twist is that they reverse the famous My Fair Lady storyline by teaching Natasha to adopt a Cockney accent instead of learning to speak like a duchess. Through various language exercises, they work on altering her American accent to British, followed by mastering Cockney elements like H-dropping, vowel shifts, and unique expressions. The session culminates in a comedic sketch, and Natasha's transformation from an American to a Cockney flower girl is both fun and educational.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video presents a reverse version of the classic film *My Fair Lady*, where a duchess learns to speak in a Cockney accent.
• 😀 The main character, Natasha, is an American digital nomad from Texas, currently living in Thailand, who is introduced to the Cockney accent.
• 😀 The process of teaching Natasha the Cockney accent is done in two stages: first reducing her American accent, then teaching Cockney-specific features.
• 😀 The video explains the importance of phonetics in transforming Natasha's accent, starting with eliminating the rhotic 'r' sounds from American English.
• 😀 Natasha practices sentences in both standard British English and Cockney, focusing on vowel changes and speech peculiarities like the L vocalization.
• 😀 Natasha learns about the 'H dropping' feature of Cockney, where words like 'happy' become 'appy' and 'hat' is pronounced without the 'H'.
• 😀 The 'unvoiced TH' sounds in words like 'think' or 'thanks' become 'f' sounds in Cockney (e.g., 'thanks' becomes 'fanks').
• 😀 Voiced 'TH' sounds, such as in 'this' or 'that', become 'v' sounds in Cockney (e.g., 'this' becomes 'vis').
• 😀 Natasha is taught to replace the 't' sound in words like 'better' with a glottal stop, making it sound more like 'be'er' in Cockney.
• 😀 The video also covers various Cockney expressions, such as 'innit' for 'isn't it', 'ain't' for 'haven't', and 'Blimey' to express surprise.
• 😀 At the end, Natasha successfully learns enough to speak with a Cockney accent, fulfilling her dream of becoming a Cockney flower girl in Covent Garden.

Q & A

What is the main concept of the video presented in the script?

The video flips the classic story of 'My Fair Lady' by attempting to teach Natasha, an American duchess, to speak Cockney, the accent associated with the working class of East London.

What is the purpose of reducing Natasha's American accent?

The goal is to modify her American accent so that it sounds more British, which serves as a stepping stone towards transforming her speech into a Cockney accent.

What phonetic feature is emphasized when reducing the American accent?

The primary feature emphasized is the non-rhoticity of the British accent, where the 'r' sound in words like 'car' and 'mother' is not pronounced, unlike in the American accent.

What is the difference between the American and British pronunciation of the word 'bath'?

In American English, the word 'bath' is pronounced with the 'a' sound like in 'trap', whereas in British English, it is pronounced with the 'a' as in 'father'.

How does the Cockney accent differ in terms of 'H dropping'?

In Cockney English, the 'H' sound at the beginning of words is often dropped, so 'happy' becomes 'appy', and words like 'hat' lose the 'H' sound altogether.

What is the L vocalization in Cockney English?

In Cockney, the 'L' sound in words like 'milk' or 'tall' is pronounced more like a 'W', so 'milk' sounds like 'miwk' and 'tall' sounds like 'tawl'.

How does the Cockney accent change the pronunciation of 'thanks' and 'think'?

In Cockney, the unvoiced 'TH' sound in words like 'thanks' and 'think' is pronounced as an 'F', so 'thanks' becomes 'fanks' and 'think' becomes 'fink'.

What is a 'glottal stop' and how is it used in the Cockney accent?

A glottal stop is a brief, sharp sound made by closing the vocal cords, replacing the 'T' sound in words like 'better' and 'boat'. In Cockney, 'boat' would be pronounced 'bo' with the T dropped.

What does the expression 'innit' mean in Cockney English?

'Innit' is a contraction of 'isn't it', used at the end of sentences as a tag question for confirmation, such as 'Beautiful day, innit?'

What does the phrase 'What’s your game?' mean in Cockney?

In Cockney, 'What’s your game?' is an informal way of asking 'What are you doing?' or 'What’s going on?', often used in a slightly confrontational context.