Norms for pronunciation in Southeast Asia

Some pronunciation features that are not found in Inner Circle varieties of English are shared by the Englishes of Singapore, the rest of ASEAN, and China, and in some cases they serve to distinguish pairs of words which are no longer differentiated by many speakers in Britain. As these features of pronunciation do not interfere with comprehension and in some cases they actually enhance intelligibility, they can be promoted as part of the standard English that is emerging in Southeast Asia. However, there is likely to be less agreement about some other features, as for example, it may be argued that the relative absence of reduced vowels and the use of syllable-based rhythm do have an impact on intelligibility, so whether these features are encouraged as part of the regional standard English will remain more controversial. In addition to considering these features, this paper discusses the status of final consonants that are commonly deleted in British and American English, specifically whether the regular omission of these sounds by speakers in Southeast Asia should be encouraged.

from World Englishes

Advertisement