Homogeneity and heterogeneity in the pronunciation of English among Ugandans
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Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
English Today
Abstract
English is an official language in Uganda and is
said to be in its nativization phase when placed
within Schneider’s (2007) model of the trajectorial
development of Englishes (Isingoma & Meierkord,
2019). In the present study, we delineate the general
features of the Ugandan accent of English
(i.e. those that cut across regional or ethnic boundaries)
as well as features that evince variability
among Ugandans due to regional or ethnic background.
The first description of the phonological
features of the variety of English spoken in
Uganda is included in Fisher’s (2000) seminal
paper on this L2 (second language) variety of
English. Another description of these features is
found in Nassenstein (2016). Both Fisher (2000)
and Nassenstein (2016) provide a short section,
outlining the features which are similar to the general
features of L2 Englishes, notably the restructuring
of the phonemic system, e.g. /a/ replacing
/ɜ:, ɑ:, ʌ, ə/ and the free variation of [l] and [r],
although the latter occurs regionally (see similar
findings on L2 varieties of English in Bailey &
Görlach [eds.] 1984; Platt, Weber & Ho, 1984;
Schmied, 1991; Simo-Bobda, 2000; Atechi,
2004; Schneider et al. [eds.], 2004; Tsilimos,
2018; among others). Additionally, Simo-Bobda
(2001) and Schmied (2004) describe more or less
the same features but in a more detailed way
under the label ‘East African English’ (Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania). Schmied (2004) posits three
reasons that underlie the features in question: substrate
influence, simplification and spelling pronunciation.
To these studies, we add a more
focused study on one particular aspect of the
Ugandan accent(s) of English, namely by
Meierkord (2016), who looks at diphthongs and
how they are realized by speakers of different
L1s. Her findings demonstrate variability but also
convergence in the idiomorphic pronunciation of
diphthongs by Ugandans.
Description
Keywords
Homogeneity, Heterogeneity, English
Citation
Adokorach, M., & Isingoma, B. (2022). Homogeneity and heterogeneity in the pronunciation of English among Ugandans: A preliminary study. English Today, 38(1), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078420000152