A Study of Vowel Nasalization and Vowel Epenthesis Processes in Cameroon Francophone English

Abstract

Unlike Cameroon English and Received Pronunciation, Cameroon Francophone English has a number of nasal and epenthetic vowels. Those nasal vowels are generally French ones, as Cameroon Francophone English is heavily influenced by that language. The epenthetic vowels found in Cameroon Francophone English as in many other non-native Englishes are difficult to explain. Part of the data analysed is drawn from past studies (Safotso 2001, 2006, 2012 & 2015; Kouega 2008). This is complemented by the oral reading of some test words by French-speaking Cameroonian undergraduate/postgraduate students and some speech gathered from debates and interventions on various national TV channels and radio stations. Results show that in Cameroon Francophone English, vowel nasalization and vowel epenthesis occur in specific positions. This paper attempts to show how they operate in that variety of English.

The Perceptions and Attitudes of Francophone Cameroonians towards Cameroon Francophone English Pronunciation

“…The most striking remark is that for the majority of these non-specialists of English (82.7%), the difference is very significant. The situation portrayed by the figures above confirms that the distinction between Cameroon English and Cameroon Francophone English, as established in previous studies (see, for instance, Kouega 2008, Simo Bobda 2013, Safotso 2016and 2018, and Atechi 2015b deserves to be made. The informants were also invited to indicate the speech community which approximates native English more.…”