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Proper ... xx pic.twitter.com/yDRZJt92ZI
— 𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘 𝕽𝖔𝖘𝖘 (@TheEastEndPoet) January 17, 2023
To be a true cockney, legend has it that you have to be born within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow church on Cheapside in the City of London, knowns as ‘Bow Bells’. Dating back to the 1300s, ‘cockney’ used to be a derogatory term for poor Londoners but is now worn as a badge of pride by east Londoners in general.
In 2010 a professor of sociolinguistics at Lancaster University suggested that the cockney accent could die out in London by 2040, instead moving eastwards into Essex. Let’s hope people like The East End Poet can help keep it alive.
How an east London meme went global: the true story of Nat Has Herpes.