Cape Flats English

Grammar

• Double negatives occur in the context of a co-occurring indefinite, as in "I didn't catch nothing".
• Calques from Afrikaans may occur, such as "I took that towel and I made me closed".

Phonetics and phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Monophthongs

• is split into two different allophones, similar to most other White South African English varieties. However, like Broad and Afrikaner accents, Cape Flats speakers across the social scale shift both allophones to a more open and centralised position:
• * The standard allophone is realised as a centralised, which is otherwise in White varieties. This is only realised in stressed syllables within the following environments: adjacent to velar consonants, after, word-initially and usually before.
• * In all other environments, it is pronounced as a schwa instead. This contrasts with other White varieties, where it is, similar to Cape Flats' standard. Like other White accents, the vowel becomes retracted before, which is realised in this variety.
• is typically long when stressed and short when unstressed. Note before it is mainly long with a tendency to experience vowel breaking.
• * However, it may be lengthened word finally though the short realisation is also possible.
• is characteristically back and rounded, even more so for second-language speakers. Sometimes it can be centred to or opened to.
• is long and back, an "old-fashioned" realisation compared to a more fronted found in other White South African accents. However, some first language speakers may approximate this value. It is short in unstressed environments, indistinguishable from the vowel.
• is typically and occasionally, with first-language mainly realising it as.
• is across the board, with often found in the broadest of speakers.
• The – merger is present, where the vowel fluctuates between with being typical of the broadest speakers. and are also recorded as occasional alternatives. The short forms are typically found in unstressed environments.
• is generally, where is more common and sometimes in first-language speakers. Before, the vowel is typically lowered to.
• has a high degree of variability where notes mainly an open mid-central with some instances of, and a backed before. However shows a more fronted and close with some instances of, and.
• is typically raised to, but with some tendency of lowering it to. An allophonic variant of is also observed before.
• vowel is shifted to similar Broad and Afrikaner varieties, though can also occur, especially before.
• * The accent has the – split, where the vowel varies between. However, notes that in words where is found before nasals in RP, such as dance or example, may have an "American-style" especially in the broadest varieties, distinct from by vowel length. A similar phenomenon can be found in Australian English outside of Adelaide.
• , similar to the vowel, is, with citing and a less typical as possible alternatives.
• has typical realisations of,,. A rhotic realisation is also recorded in by some second-language speakers.
• is with a word-final allophone. Backed allophones, including, and, occur before. In the suffix -es, it is typically.

Diphthongs

• and show varying levels of diphthongisation. is usually but with and also being recorded, where can be but more likely. primarily notes monophthongal values across the social scale, with and respectively.
• is typically.
• varies between diphthongal and monophthongal with the monophthongal form, found in all speakers, is most realised word-finally.
• is typically for native speakers and more open for learners. The vowel is often backed and lowered,,. In hiatus environments, an offglide is added; an influence from Afrikaans, e.g. layer.
• exhibits an extremely high degree of variation, with being the typical realisations for all speakers.. also records and less commonly as variants. The vowel offset is often weakened before and in unstressed positions. Similar to, an offglide is realised in hiatus positions, e.g. going.
• has a high degree of variability, with two main sets of realisations present:
• exhibits Canadian-raising-style variation, with non-low realisations before voiced consonants and raised elsewhere. An offglide is found in hiatus positions, e.g. power.

Phonemic incidence

• The word asthma is pronounced instead of standard.
• The first vowel of the name Cecil is recorded with the vowel instead of the usual.
• Likewise, skip uses reduced instead of expected the despite being adjacent to a velar consonant.
• In one and once, can also be heard alongside among first-language speakers. Second-language speakers always pronounce it as.
• Similarly want and non- are pronounced with, instead of the standard.
• The vowel can be realised as in certain contexts, especially in the injection yes.