White South African English: phonology Conclusion

The most salient feature of WSAfE is perhaps the behavior of KIT, DRESS, TRAP: TRAP and DRESS are raised (relative to RP and most other L1 varieties of English), and KIT is centralized. This has often been attributed to the influence of the Afrikaans vowel system. Lass and Wright proposed an alternative and more feasible alternative: that these three vowels are in fact involved in a chain shift. Raising of British/RP TRAP in (early) WSAfE encroached on DRESS, which itself raised (to keep the distinction), encroaching on KIT, which was pushed across towards [ɪ]. This can be illustrated as follows: the RP or input vowel is shown in miniscules, and the WSAfE innovation in capitals:

The diagram is taken from Lass (2002: 113); for a full elucidation of the chain shift.

This identifies WSAfE as a Southern Hemisphere English, as Australian English and New Zealand English also show raising in the high front vowels; though neither have yet achieved the push from [ɪ] to more centralized , realizing lowered [i] instead. AusE and NZE also share /i/ in happy with WSAfE. WSAfE and NZE share /ɑ:/ in dance, glass, etc. (Trudgill and Hannah 1994:30). Some marked distinctions between WSAfE and AusE and NZE are:

– the behavior of FLEECE, which is diphthongal [ɪi] ~ [iɪ] in the latter varieties (Lass 2002: 116)

– the backness of BATH: fully back [ɑ:] in WSAfE, contrasting with the fully frontal [a] in AusE and NZE (Trudgill and Hannah 1994: 30).

The expansion of WSAfE to younger middle class members of other ethnic groups who have been exposed to different varieties of SAfE is a recent development, which is bound to have an impact on the variety in the future. The changes and conservations evoked by this development will be monitored with keen interest.