The Cockney persona: the London accent in characterisation and translation

This contribution focuses on the London accent, in its traditional Cockney realisation and in its more recent developments. The function of this accent in the original texts and its translation into Italian dubbing are both considered. After a description of the iconic features of the London variety, significant examples are presented, which showcase this accent in contrast with other accents and sociolects, especially the received pronunciation, according to a typical narrative topos. Rather than concentrating on the frequent realistic portrayals authored by socially oriented writers and directors, the examples chosen here to illustrate some typical telecinematic renditions of this popular variety are more stereotypical realisations of the London accent, whose aim is to portray an emblematic character with a distinctive idiolect. In the last section, dialogue excerpts will be analysed through the lens of two functions in particular, those defined by Kozloff (2000) as ‘opportunities for star turns’ and ‘exploitation of the resources of language’, two of the least quoted, but most interesting categories of her seminal taxonomy. Emphasis on these functions will arguably give the opportunity to approach the much-discussed topic of dialect translation from a fresher perspective.