African Englishes: acoustic analysis of vowels

ABSTRACT:  This paper focuses on acoustic analysis of African English (AfrE) vowels produced by a controlled sample of speakers from Kenya, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Adopting quantitative methods of data sampling and analysis, and holding dialectal factors as homogeneous as possible, this exploratory study subjects Schmied's (1991a) claim – that a major source of regional variation is the ‘deviation’ in the production of RP central vowel [ ] (as in bird ) – to empirical scrutiny. Schmied contends that [ ] backs and lowers to [ ] in West African English, fronts and lowers to [a] or fronts to [e] in East African English, while in (Black) South African English it fronts to [e]. However, analysis of acoustic waveforms of AfrE vowels, produced by educated speakers of Bantu and Kwa languages, partially corroborate Schmied's contention. For instance, Ghanaian and Zimbabwean respondents in this study front the RP vowel [ ] to [e], while Kenyans lower it to [a]. The paper provides a methodological framework that will at least address some research concerns voiced over the years: lack of “objective, systematic study” ( Abdulaziz 1991 : 393), “deficiency in methodology” ( Adegbija 1994 : 53), and “overgeneralization” ( Simo Bobda 2000 : 264). Sustained empirical studies could eventually lead to a fresh perspective on AfrE's phonological variation.