Cor blimey! Well stone the crows! As an Essex boy with a history that predates the post war exodus can I say how much I enjoyed reading this article. Thank you.
I’d be interested to know what the effect of radio DJs have, especially those on Radio One (initially, before they aged up to Radio Two), most of whom seemed not to have a ‘Queen’s English’ accent when on air.
Were many of the young people that Williams and Kerswill surveyed avid listeners?
"estuary" as my east-london ancesters called it... then their descendents emigrated down the estuary to the likes of chelmsford & colchester & my ancestors' essex accent has been replaced with "co'knee". fascinating how sounds travel, mutate, return & pollute/mutate again... I blame #TOWIE 😜
The old estuary accent is dying off with the boomers and is being replaced by cockney as more and more Londoners who can’t afford to buy property there move further out.
Yep! as with all of one branch of my family: i can’t afford to buy our old family home in Plaistow that cost mum n dad £10k in ‘79: that’s the “legacy” of 2012 Olympics - “gentrification” 🤷♂️
Pretty cool! I'm not totally sold on the main conclusion, but it's very interesting. I'm particularly intrigued by the analysis that "mɪ" in I'll get me coat etc. is a pronunciation of "my" rather than the word "me". I hope Dr Cole follows up on that.
We publish a range of articles. This one, by an academic, is of particular interest to some readers of East Anglia Bylines - who published it - as well as to a wider audience, especially in London.
1. Hitler bombed the shit out of them and 2. Many of their homes were inadequate slums. The new estates in Essex had three or four bedrooms and gardens but lacked condensation running down the walls and rats in the yard. About time we started building some modern council estates.
I hope so. After the war the only way my parents and uncle could get a house and move out from my grandparents was to move into a brand new council house. Halcyon days!
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In case you couldn't tell, my given name is Dickie
I come from Billericay and I'm doing very well”
https://youtu.be/ZoVLd0zLUEA?si=yAmifjanot2aD3xF
Were many of the young people that Williams and Kerswill surveyed avid listeners?