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 language.
Phonology
- The met–mate merger is a phenomenon occurring for some speakers of Zulu English where {{IPA|/eɪ/}} and {{IPA|/ɛ/}} are both pronounced {{IPA|/ɛ/}}. As a result, the words "met" and "mate" are homophonous as {{IPA|/mɛt/}}.{{sfnp|Wade|1996}}
- The cot–coat merger is a phenomenon occurring for some speakers of Zulu English where the phonemes {{IPA|/ɒ/}} and {{IPA|/əʊ/}} are not distinguished.{{sfnp|Wade|1996}}
- Confusion between {{IPA|/ʃ/}} and {{IPA|/tʃ/}} also occurs: it is reported that {{IPA|/tʃ/}} is sometimes replaced by {{IPA|/ʃ/}}, so ship may be pronounced like chip.{{sfnp|Wade|1996}}
- Devoicing of certain obstruents, particularly {{IPA|/b, d, g, dʒ, z/}}.{{sfnp|Wade|1996}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
- {{Cite thesis
|last=Wade
|first=Rodrik D.
|date=1996
|title=An Investigation of the Putative Restandardisation of South African English in the Direction of a 'New' English, Black South African English
|chapter=Structural characteristics of Zulu English
|place=Durban
|publisher=University of Natal
|chapter-url=http://www.und.ac.za/und/ling/archive/wade_pre.html
|url-status=unfit
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013143757/http://www.und.ac.za/und/ling/archive/wade_pre.html
|archive-date=13 October 2008
}}
{{Refend}}
Category:Languages of South Africa
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