What is a "London accent"?

I live in Manchester now and I hear a lot of people talking about others having "a London accent". There is no single London accent.

What do they mean? Is it RP? Is it Cockney? Is it Estuary? Is it Jafaican? Is it just ¨posh¨?

Insights really appreciated, especially if you're from the north. Many thanks.

Reply 1

The H

Like you say, it is a type of accent that divides into sub-accents
And yeah i'm a northerner

Reply 2

username877577

Apparently I have a posh British accent :/

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 3

Kiss

In my experience, outsiders often cannot deter accents in the UK and they get split into two distinct categories: cockney and posh.

Reply 4

The H

Accents seem to change when you walk 2 ft down the road here

Cockney.

I'm told I have one but it's kind of hard to describe your own accent

Reply 7

The H

Anyone else think they're accent is completely different to everyone they live near?

Reply 8

PINKFLEUR

Original post by Olympiad

Apparently I have a posh British accent :/

Posted from TSR Mobile

The same has been said to me - think of it as a good thing!

Reply 9

Joinedup

People generally have a cloth ear for accents originating in other places.
Londoners cheerfully go around talking about 'a northern accent' as if it was the same everywhere.

Reply 10

BayHarborButcher

Original post by Olympiad

Apparently I have a posh British accent :/

Posted from TSR Mobile

I've been told by quite a few southerners that I have a Scottish accent yet I've lived by Liverpool my entire life. Some people just don't know the difference so don't believe them aha.

Reply 11

Habsburg

'Cockney' and 'London', though different, are considered part of the same continuum of accents. Cockney is specifically East London (traditionally said to be someone born within the sound of Bow Bells). The accent originally heard around Western Greater London - Middlesex and Westminster - is milder than Cockney. It is related to Estuary English, which is heard around the River Thames in Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Surrey.

Unfortunately, the traditional London accent, as well as Cockney, is being replaced by a base Jafaican patois - 'MLE'.

(edited 10 years ago)