An account of distinctive phonetic and lexical features of Gambian English

Peter, Lothar; Wolf, Hans-Georg; Simo Bobda, Augustin

doi:10.1075/eww.24.1.04pet

Article published In: English World-Wide
Vol. 24:1 (2003) ► pp.43–61

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An account of distinctive phonetic and lexical features of Gambian English

Lothar Peter | Humboldt University Berlin

Hans-Georg Wolf | University of Hong Kong

Augustin Simo Bobda | University of Yaounde I

Published online: 9 May 2003

https://doi.org/10.1075/eww.24.1.04pet

The article discusses the specific features of the English used in The Gambia by looking at the phonetic and lexical markers that distinguish Gambian English from the other national varieties of West African English. The study shows that Gambian English has a number of established and exclusive features owing to the formation of a national norm and the influence of certain indigenous languages, yielding a national quasi-standard easy to identify.

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