&quot;&quot;You sound South African&quot;&quot; - A sociolinguistic study of the phonology and vocabulary of SAE

This research paper evaluates the phonological properties of South African English (SAE) through the analysis of the major contact languages that have influenced it in order to establish how it differs from Standard British English, also known as Received Pronunciation (RP). The aspects of the language variety that are investigated include the accent and its fragmentation and dialectology across various groups. The paper will analyse several vowels and how these are articulated in SAE as well as their evolution in the main regional settings of the country. The main English dialects of the Western Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng have been assessed to determine how SAE is employed in various contexts. The paper also goes into detail about the origins of the language variety and determines the structure of its vocabulary, which has undergone the most significant changes over time. This section delves into uniquely South African lexical items and words. It also looks at the topic areas...Show moreThis research paper evaluates the phonological properties of South African English (SAE) through the analysis of the major contact languages that have influenced it in order to establish how it differs from Standard British English, also known as Received Pronunciation (RP). The aspects of the language variety that are investigated include the accent and its fragmentation and dialectology across various groups. The paper will analyse several vowels and how these are articulated in SAE as well as their evolution in the main regional settings of the country. The main English dialects of the Western Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng have been assessed to determine how SAE is employed in various contexts. The paper also goes into detail about the origins of the language variety and determines the structure of its vocabulary, which has undergone the most significant changes over time. This section delves into uniquely South African lexical items and words. It also looks at the topic areas where one can clearly see substratum influences or borrowing from the landscape, culinary influences, politically engineered language as well as ethnic and cultural remnants which have made their way into SAE’s idiosyncratic vocabulary. The research would not be complete without touching on the evolving linguistic attitudes towards English during an important transitional phase for the citizens of this country in which language plays a pivotal role. There is much debate at present about the role of English in the modern South Africa and the extent to which it should dictate the course of education in the country.Show less

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""You sound South African"" - A sociolinguistic study of the phonology and vocabulary of SAE