The Probert Encyclopaedia of People

COCKNEY

Cockney is a term which was originally applied (with regard to people) to the inhabitants of any town, and implied their ignorance of farming and agriculture. During the 17th century its use became limited to the inhabitants of London, and more recently to those born within the sound of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow (Bow bells) in London. The cockney dialect is chiefly characterised by the substitution of f or v for th (e.g. brover for brother), of ah for ou (e.g. rahnd for round) and ou for o (nou for no) and also a tendency to nasalise many vowels. Other peculiarities are substituting a long i for a long a (e.g. lidy for lady) and oi for i (foin for fine) and the dropping or misplacement of the letter h ('e for he) and of pronouncing many words ending in 'ts' as two syllables, as though there were an 'e' between the 't' and the 's'.
Research Cockney