Sonorants: M/N/NG, L, R

In words ending in –ing the realization of the final consonant as an alveolar nasal is practically universal. The velarization of alveolar nasals in word-final position and certain words, e.g. /-ŋ/ in down, is practically exclusive to the Caribbean (and BrC, its daughter variety). The pronunciation of words spelled with <ng> as [ŋg] can be heard in the English West Midlands, a small number of American and some Caribbean varieties, in IndE, CamE, and a few more West African varieties.

The vocalization of /l/ in postvocalic positions occurs fairly generally in some dialects of AmE (especially in Philadelphia, New England, and the South), and variably in several others, as well as in AusE and NZE. In BrE this is less common, and typically regionally (concentrated in the south-east) and sociolinguistically conditioned. It is also reported for SgE, EAfrE, and a few West African varieties. The distribution of the light and dark allophones of /l/ is highly complex, depending upon regional and positional constraints, and frequently quite different from that of RP. Upton (this volume) observers a trend for dark /l/ variants to increase in frequency further to the south in England, while ScE prefers dark /l/, as does northern Wales. In onset positions, a clear /l/ occurs almost exclusively in Africa and Asia, while America and the Caribbean show a great deal of variability. A light /l/ in coda position characterizes IndE and a few more varieties on all continents. Alternation between /l/ and /r/, which can be heard in a few varieties in America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, seems induced by relatively strong contact effects.

Rhoticity, i.e. the pronunciation of /r/ in postvocalic and preconsonantal or word-final position, is generally considered one of the major features distinguishing varieties of the English-speaking world, with non-rhotic pronunciations being considered British and rhotic realizations American – but then, distributional patterns turn out not to be that simple. Essentially, it is true that RP and most dialects of southern and eastern England as well as Wales are non-rhotic, and so are varieties derived from British English in fairly recent history, i.e. practically all of Africa and almost all of the Asian and Pacific accents. Conversely, AmE, particularly in the North and West, is rhotic, as is its daughter variety in Asia, PhlE. However, large parts of the British Isles are in fact rhotic (ScE, IrE, southwestern EngE, and much of northern EngE), and some conservative American accents, stemming from longer and more intense cultural ties with southern England, used to be nonrhotic (like New England, New York City, and the South) and are variably rhotic now, with younger speakers adopting newly-prestigious rhotic pronunciations (it is noteworthy, however, that AAVE has largely retained its lack of rhoticity). The Caribbean is strongly mixed, with some island accents (e.g. Bajan) being rhotic, others (e.g. T&T) non-rhotic, and many variably rhotic (e.g. Jamaica). AusE and NZE are essentially also non-rhotic, but the Otago region on the South Island of NZ has traditionally been rhotic (presumably due to strong Scottish settlement in the 19th century), and in Australia prestigious American accents seem to be exerting some influence. The phonetic realizations of /r/ vary widely. The realization of an intrusive /r/ characterizes non-rhotic areas of Britain and the antipodes and, variably, America and the Caribbean, but it occurs hardly at all in Africa and Asia.