Bequia English
{{Short description|Variety of English}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Bequia English
|region= Bequia
|speakers2=
|familycolor=Indo-European
|fam2=Germanic
|fam3=West Germanic
|fam4=Ingvaeonic
|fam5=Anglo-Frisian
|fam6=Anglic
|fam7=English
|fam8=North American English
|fam9=Caribbean English
|ancestor=Old English
|ancestor2=Middle English
|ancestor3=Early Modern English
|glottorefname=Bequia English
|glotto=none
|notice=IPA
}}
{{English language}}
Bequia English is the local dialect of English spoken on Bequia, an island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It belongs to the group of Caribbean English varieties.{{Cite book |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/further-studies-in-the-lesserknown-varieties-of-english/33E81251BB95215D94604931DDA5000C |title=Further Studies in the Lesser-Known Varieties of English |date=2015 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-02120-4 |editor-last=Williams |editor-first=Jeffrey P. |series=Studies in English Language |location=Cambridge |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139108652 |editor-last2=Schneider |editor-first2=Edgar W. |editor-last3=Trudgill |editor-first3=Peter |editor-last4=Schreier |editor-first4=Daniel}}
Phonology
= Consonants =
Word-initially /t/ and /d/ are dental. Word-final /t/ can be sometimes fully released and sometimes fully deleted, such as in but [bʌ] and about [əbaʷ]. Word-medially /t/ can occur as either a stop or glottal stop, hence after is either [aftə] or [afʔə].
Word-initially H is variably present. The fricatives are pronounced as dentals: 'think' [tɪŋk], 'there' [dɛ]. Nasal backing is common after back vowels: "Hamilton" sounds like [hamɪltɔŋ]. /l/ is normally light in all positions, the /r/ is a retroflex [ɹ] and rhoticity is variable.
/str/ is pronounced as /ʃtr/: industry is [ɪndʌʃtri]. Final clusters may be devoiced (kids: [kɪts]) and final stops in clusters can be deleted (respect: [rispɛk]). There is restricted metathesis: words like ask, crisp and crispy are pronounced as [æks], [krɪps], and [krɪpsi]; but mask is pronounced as [ma:s].
/k/ and /g/ tend to be palatalized: Coast Guard [kʲo:s gʲa:d].
= Vowels =
The vowels in Kit and Dress are usually [ɪ] and [ɛ], and the vowel in Kit is sometimes lowered to [ɛ] (miracle: [mɛɹəkl]). The vowel in Trap is either [a] or [æ]. The Foot vowel is usually [ʊ], but sometimes [ɔ], and the Lot vowel is usually [ɑ], but sometimes [a]. The vowel in Strut is normally [ʌ], but at times [ɔ] (cup: [kɔp]).
The vowels in Fleece and in Goose tend to occur as [i:] and [u:], and the Face and Goat vowels tend to occur as [e:] and [o:], but they can occasionally be [eə] and [oə]. The Bath vowel tends to occur as [a:], though [æ] can also be heard. The Cloth, Thought and Palm vowels tend to occur as [a].
The diphthong in Price is either [aɪ], [ɔɪ] or [əɪ], the diphthong in Mouth is either [aʊ], [ɔʊ] or [əʊ]. The Choice diphthong is usually [ɔɪ], but can be realized as [aɪ]. Hence, choice can be heard as [tʃaɪs] and price can be heard as [pɹɔɪs].
The Nurse vowel is [ə], [ɜ]or [ɔ]; the Near vowels is usually [i:], but can be merged with the Square vowel [e:]. The Start vowel is either [a:] or [ɑ:], the Cure vowel is [ɔ:], and the North and Force vowels are usually merged, though lord tends to sound like [la:d].{{Cite web |title=Select phonetic and phonological features of Caribbean varieties of English: An overview |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356171829}}{{Cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=James A. |last2=Meyerhoff |first2=Miriam |date=2020-01-01 |title=Pivots of the Caribbean? Low-back vowels in eastern Caribbean English |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ling-2019-0037/html |journal=Linguistics |language=en |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=109–130 |doi=10.1515/ling-2019-0037 |issn=1613-396X}}
=Rhythm=
References
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{{English dialects by continent|state=collapsed}}
{{Saint Vincent and the Grenadines topics}}