Editing Estuary English (section)

====/t/-glottalization====
The term [[glottalization]] has several different meanings: the most important are [[Glottalization#Glottal_reinforcement | glottal reinforcement]] (or ''pre-glottalization''), where a glottal closure accompanies an oral closure, and [[Glottalization#Glottal_replacement |glottal replacement]], where a glottal closure is substituted for an oral consonant.

Although glottalization of /t/ has been singled out for attention in discussion of EE features, pre-glottalization of /p/, /k/ and /tʃ/ is also widespread in RP, particularly when another consonant follows. Examples are "popcorn" [ˈpɒʔpkɔːn], "electric" [ɪˈleʔktrɪk], "butcher" [ˈbʊʔtʃə].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Roach |first1=Peter |title=Glottalisation of English /p,t,k,tʃ/: a re-examination |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |date=1973 |volume=3 |pages=10–21|doi=10.1017/S0025100300000633 |s2cid=145061712 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ward |first1=Ida |title=The Phonetics of English |date=1945 |publisher=Heffer |pages=135–6 |edition=3rd }}</ref>
Wells proposes that in transcribing EE, the glottal stop symbol [ʔ] could be used in contexts where the consonant in question is preceded by a vowel and followed by a consonant or the end of a word: examples are "bit" [bɪʔ], "football" [ˈfʊʔbɔo], "belt" [beoʔ], "Cheltenham" [ˈtʃeoʔnəm], "bent" [benʔ], "Bentley" [ˈbenʔli].
Pre-glottalization of /t/ therefore appears to be present both in RP and in EE.

Glottal ''replacement'' of /t/ may be found when /t/ occurs before another consonant. Examples from RP where /t/ is replaced by a glottal stop are: "that table" [ˌðæʔ ˈteɪbəl], "Scotland" [ˈskɒʔlənd], "witness" [ˈwɪʔnəs].{{sfnp|Cruttenden|2014|p=184}} The most extreme case of glottal replacement is when a glottal stop takes the place of /t/ between vowels (normally when the preceding vowel is stressed). Examples are "not on" [ˌnɒʔ ˈɒn], "bottle" [ˈbɒʔo]. Wells says "glottalling word-internally before a vowel is well-known as a "rough" pronunciation variant: thus EE water ˈwɔːtə, but Cockney ˈwɔʊʔə".<ref name="wells94"/> However, in work published twenty years later, Cruttenden (p 184) remarks that such glottal replacement "was until recently stigmatized as non-GB but all except [ʔl̩] are now acceptable in London RGB" (i.e. EE). He continues "Use of [ʔ] for /t/ word-medially intervocalically, as in ''water'', still remains stigmatized in GB".