Learn the Estuary English Accent

(60.6MB, 60 minutes) 2011 Edition

This download includes a written examination of how to learn a contemporary London Estuary English accent, and the following sound files featuring Accent Help coach Kate DeVore:

Play Audio Sample:

1. Introduction to Sound Placement, Intonation, and Helpful Hints for Estuary accents (4:17)
2. Consonant sound changes for learning an Estuary English accent (8:21)
3. Vowel sound changes for learning this contemporary London accent (5:35)
4. changes to Diphthongs in an Estuary accent (3:08)
5. Alternate Pronunciations for words when speaking an Estuary accent (2:59)
6. Wrap up to Estuary accents for actors (1:32)
7. Twickenham Male conversation (3:07)
8. London Male Teacher reading (:53)
9. + his conversation (3:43)
10. London Female Student reading (:58)
11. + her conversation (3:46)
12. Estuary Male DJ reading (1:35)
13. + his conversation (5:10)
14. London Female reading (1:33)
15. + her conversation (almost St Brit, but a bit Americanized) (2:44)
16. Canterbury Male reading (1:04)
17. + his conversation (3:24)
18. Estuary-accented Actress reading (1:06)
19. + her conversation (5:56)

Contemporary Estuary English is a blend of Standard British (Received Pronunciation) and the Cockney accent of London.  Estuary began to be recognized as a specific accent in the mid-1980's.  It's commonly considered a fairly hip accent, using many elements of RP along with some Cockney vowels and a number of elements of American speech.  You hear this from a wide variety of people, including some younger members of the royal family.  It's also commonly called a "Mockney accent" since it shares so much with a Cockney accent, but it's often spoken by a more "Yuppie" crowd.

Our FREE ebook that talks about the basics of learning dialects may help you as well.  (We've included it in this download, too.)

Though these sound files have been remastered to reduce background noise, most of these recordings are made "in the field" so you will hear such things as birds, cars or other people in the background.  A transcription of the conversations is included to help you follow along. This download also contains four versions of the written materials:  A printer-friendly pdf, a pdf that is in a larger format for use on a portable reading device, and both mobi and epub editions for other portable readers.