The PRICE-MOUTH crossover in the "Cockney diaspora"

This study investigates two dynamic vowel changes in a variety of Southern British English, in the context of social changes affecting a specific speech community. We present apparent-time data from a community of Cockney speakers, rehoused from London to Essex in the 1950s. Our interest is in tracking the potential loss of a traditional Cockney feature, the PRICE-MOUTH crossover. We find that the crossover is reversing in apparent time, showing an abrupt change towards regional standard in speakers under 28 years of age, which we link to historical policy changes, and a following shift to social class attitude. We also find that while the formant values shift noticeably in apparent time, the changes largely preserve the trajectory shape.