Just out of curiosity, what accent does Ricky Gervais (David Brent) have?
So that's what Estuary English is. I've come across the accent before, but I didn't know that's what it was. Huge culture shock when I first heard it :D I thought I forgot how to speak English!
What does "having a strop" mean? I know what the dictionary says a strop is, but I've heard it used (by people who speak Estuary English) in a way that doesn't relate to "a leather band used for sharpening a razor."
mjd:
David Brent (Ricky Gervais) was "Home Counties" mainly...the counties immediately surrounding London without being true Cockney (inner London) if you see what I mean. Even he had a touch of Estuary though. The office in the series where David behaved as he did (hee hee!) was supposedly in Slough.... ['sl-au] oficial pronunciation but in Estuary (and locally!) more like ['sl-ei-u]. Slough is in Berkshire ['b-a:k-sh-^] which is one of the Home Counties just to the west of London. In the same county is Windsor where the Queen has her Castle but she doesn't speak Estuary....yet.
Joanne:
To have "a strop on" means to be in a bad temper and acting up, losing control of your emotions. I think it derves from the word "obstreperous" which more or less means the same thing.
Another term is "throwing a wobbly" and, a bit more strongly perhaps, "going ballistic".
Or freaking out! hee hee...
btw: typo in my post:
<<think it derves from the word>>
derves = derives
I'm not freaking out...I'm off out clubbing now
Hello everyone!
As a non-brit I would like to catch up with the Essex accent, especialy the one that being used by the former S Club 7's lead singer, Jo O'meara, as well as by the actress Kat Wallace (aka Cat Slater, EastEnders).
Now, I do belive they're using the Essex/Esuary accent, but if I'm wrong - plz correct me!
r there any sites that can help get this sort of accent?
Thx.
Jo O'meara speaks with an Estuary accent, but Jessie Wallace speaks Cockney.
I'm still trying to figure out how you get from "sarf" to "south"....
"... she doesn't speak Estuary....yet." you never know. She might speak Esturary in private ... then again, she might well speak German.
The word "stroppy" in Aussie English means the same except it's an adjective.
In "Bend it Like Beckham," the woman who plays Jessie's sister has a strong Estuary accent...
<<I'm still trying to figure out how you get from "sarf" to "south".... >>
Quite simple really... Estuary speech originated in the London area centred around the River Thames Estuary...hence the name. It started out as a form of tempered down Cockney.
Essex (one of the Home Counties just to the east of London) is included in this area incidentally, (and I think Jason is correct about Jo O'Meara and Jessie Wallace).
In the 1990s Estuary has slowly spread northwards and westwards in England and now it is almost universal in much of southern and central England in people under 30 especially. Even up here in Scotland strains of Estuary are seeping into our speech, including mine, depending on circumstances! And I never, ever, ever, ever watch Eastenders...it's too depressing :-( Why are they always so bitchy towards each other?
In Estuary the "th" sound comes out as an "f" so that the word "thing" becomes "fing". If it's at the end of a word it becomes a "v" so that "with" becomes "wiv". Except in "North" which comes out as somefing like ['NOuf]. Are you wiv me so far? Good!
In genuine Cockney the "ou" sound in a word like "south" is somefing like "ar"...therefore the word "south" becomes somefing like "sarf". The name London in Cockney/realtime Estuary is pronounced "Landun". So that someone from Croydon, which is in South London, comes from "Sarf Landun". If you come from Tottenham, which is in North London, you come from "['NOuf]Landun".
I's fun innit? I'm glad I ain't livin' in the Sarf but I may well do one die who knOuws, it all depends. Somefing loike Edinburgh Estuary could be interestin'.
It gives foreigners an excuse to mispronounce English, especially "th" ;)
Jason - to my opinion, both Jo O'meara & Jessie Wallace has a strong Estuary accent.... I used to watch S Club 7 when I was a bit younger, and Jo's definately got "the flow".... ;-) but I reckon she's Irish...
If u watch EastEnders (n only god knows why... they're nothin like the average common british ppl...) then u might as well pick up Lynn's accent which is sort of a mixture between Cockney & Essex.
By the way, does anyone know what sort of accent has Pauline Fowler (played by Wendy Richard) got? ;-)
England is a small country, and the area around London is even smaller than England, so I wouldn't overestimate the importance of these changes, such as they are.
But where can I find any voice demos of Essex accent?
Any good websites to offer, anyone...?
