Zulu English

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Zulu English is a variety of English, spoken almost exclusively in South Africa among the Zulu. The variety is heavily influenced by the phonology and lexicon of the Zulu.

Phonology

  • The met–mate merger is a phenomenon occurring for some speakers of Zulu English where /eɪ/ and /ɛ/ are both pronounced /ɛ/. As a result, the words "met" and "mate" are homophonous as /mɛt/.[1]
  • The cot–coat merger is a phenomenon occurring for some speakers of Zulu English where the phonemes /ɒ/ and /oʊ/ are not distinguished.[2]
  • Confusion between /ʃ/ and /tʃ/ also occurs: it is reported that /tʃ/ is sometimes replaced by /ʃ/, so ship may be pronounced like chip.[3]
  • Devoicing of certain obstruents, particularly /b/, /d/, /k/, /dZ/ and /z/.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Wade, R., The structural characteristics of Zulu English. https://web.archive.org/web/20080517054614/
  2. ↑ Wade, R., The structural characteristics of Zulu English. https://web.archive.org/web/20080517054614/
  3. ↑ Wade, R., The structural characteristics of Zulu English. https://web.archive.org/web/20080517054614/
  4. ↑ Wade, R., The structural characteristics of Zulu English. https://web.archive.org/web/20080517054614/


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