When it comes to accents, most actors will have heard of received pronunciation (RP) and Cockney. But did you know there’s an accent that sits somewhere on the spectrum between the two?
It’s called an Estuary English accent, and it’s handy to have up your sleeve for characters who aren’t too posh, but who also don’t speak in full-blown Cockney.
“If you go to an audition with this accent, it’s going to probably give you an edge if you’re not looking for that typical upper-class Shakespearean-sounding British accent and you also don’t want to go Cockney with it,” says English teacher Aly Williams on his YouTube channel, Papa Teach Me.
The Estuary accent is mostly heard in London and the southeast of England. Its name comes from the River Thames’ estuary, which marks the pathway along which the accent spread through counties including Essex, Kent, and Suffolk.
“Estuary English, as it’s known today, began to develop after World War II when many Londoners left London for surrounding counties like Surrey, Kent, and Essex," explains Patricio Languages. “This migration spread Cockney and other London accents to surrounding counties. It began to blend with local accents and mainly RP to create what would then become Estuary English.”
Patricio Languages adds that the accent “blends traditional Cockney features with softer, more neutral tones found in RP,” and uses the examples of chef Jamie Oliver and singer-songwriter Lily Allen as celebrities who speak with Estuary English.
Estuary English vs. Cockney accents
Cockney is traditionally associated with working class communities in London’s East End – and specifically those born within the sound of Bow Bells. Some well-known actors who speak with a Cockney accent include Danny Dyer, Michael Caine, and Barbara Windsor.
Estuary English, on the other hand, is less linked to a specific location, and is seen as softer and more neutral than Cockney.
There are many features of Cockney that are used in an Estuary English dialect, however.
Estuary English vs. RP accents
Is Estuary English posh, if it’s linked to RP? RP is often associated with higher social status, sometimes referred to as the “Queen’s English” (now the “King’s English”), but Estuary English is less tied to any one social class and is used by a wide range of speakers.
As it incorporates particular features of a Cockney accent, it is usually perceived as less posh than RP.
“This is an interesting accent because there aren’t really any hard and fast rules; it really depends on the speaker in question,” says Patricio English. There are, however, some common features you may observe in the Estuary accent.
Glottal t’s
In Estuary English, the t in the middle or at the end of words such as little or that may be replaced with a glottal stop. A glottal stop is a sound made by quickly closing the airway in the throat, replacing the sound of the tongue hitting the teeth or the roof of the mouth. For example, butter becomes buh-uh.
Dropped h sounds
Some Estuary English speakers will drop the h at the beginning of particular words. This is one of the most distinctive features of a Cockney accent, but it isn’t used all the time in Estuary English; it may be used for some words, but not others.
“Estuary speakers would certainly drop the h in function words, particularly where they appear in the middle of sentences such as, ‘Where’s he gone?’ and, ‘It’s in her handbag’,” according to Pronunciation Studio. The examples there may sound more like, “Where’s ‘e gone?” and “It’s in ‘er handbag.” In contrast, “an RP speaker may never drop an h sound, even in function words such as he, her, and have.”
L sounds
In the Estuary English dialect, l sounds can often be voiced more like a w. For example, milk may sound more like miwk or fall like fawl.
Chew your Ts
Patricio English says that in Estuary English, the t at the beginning of a word can sometimes be replaced with a ch sound. So Tuesday would become Chewsday and YouTube would become YouChube.
Th becomes f
This isn’t the case for all Estuary English speakers, but, for some, th sounds at the beginning of words will morph into f sounds. That is another common feature of Cockney accents.
Think becomes fink, for example, and thing sounds like fing.
Estuary English words
In Estuary English, certain words will change, explains Williams. Here are some examples:
- Something becomes summit
- Want to sounds like wannoo
- Going to sounds like gunnoo
Researching the accent is a useful starting point, but, if you are able to, working with a dialect coach will really help you to perfect it.
It’s also worth remembering that there are many different variations of an Estuary English accent.
“There are some Estuary speakers who lean more towards RP, and others who lean more towards traditional Cockney,” Patricio English says. “Of course, you’re also going to have some who are bang in the middle and others that code switch depending on the situation.”
It’s always worth making your version of Estuary English specific to the character you’re playing, and thinking about how it may sound for them.
If you’re looking for some more inspiration, here are some celebrities and fictional characters across TV and film who speak with an Estuary English accent:
- Footballer David Beckham
- Actor Michelle Dockery
- The Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant, in Doctor Who
