Isle of Sheppey Isle of Sheppey The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. "Sheppey" is derived from Old English "Sceapig", meaning "Sheep Island". Today's island was historically known as the "Isles of Sheppey" which were Sheppey itself, the Isle of Harty to the south east and the Isle of Elmley to the south west. Over time the channels between the islands have silted up to make one continuous island. Sheppey, like
Estuary English more widely spoken in parts of Sussex, Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Middlesex as well. Estuary English shares many features with Cockney, and there is some debate among linguists as to where Cockney speech ends and Estuary English begins. The variety first came to public prominence in an article by David Rosewarne in the "Times Educational Supplement" in October 1984. Rosewarne argued that it may eventually replace Received Pronunciation in the southeast. Studies have indicated that Estuary English is not a single coherent form of English; rather, it has some of the phonetic features of working-class London speech spreading at