Abstract
South African English (SAfE) traces its roots to the 1820 British settlers. From here, it spread to the descendants of Indian indentured labourers, who later shifted to English as home language. English diffused as second language to the indigenous African population and speakers of Afrikaans, and today occupies an important position as language of government, education, business, and the media. SAfE has borrowed vocabulary from Afrikaans, ancestral Indian languages, and in recent years also from other South African languages. Phonetically, SAfE has raised front vowels, the short front /i/ has allophones that range from high front in KIN to centralized in PIN, and a back vowel realization of START. Non-native varieties display various degrees of vowel contrast reduction. The modal must is used more extensively than in other varieties of English, while Black SAfE also uses the progressive aspect for a wider timespan than just temporariness.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
