Liberian Settler English: phonology

English is Liberia’s official language. There is a Liberian variety of International English; it is the language of Liberia’s media and institutions of higher learning, and it is the target of language instruction in Liberian schools.

The focus of the present article is Liberian Settler English (LibSE), the language of the Settler ethnic group. The Settlers are the descendants of the 16,000 African Americans who immigrated to Liberia in the nineteenth century. The modern Liberian state began with their arrival. In Liberia, formal education has performed an integrative function. The more education a Liberian has had, the more her/his English will correspond to the English of other Liberians of comparable educational achievement, regardless of one’s ancestry and upbringing. Conversely, within the Settler group, those with the least extensive formal education are the ones who speak in the most distinctly Settler way.

Even as the Settlers have reclaimed their African heritage, it can be argued that their language – at least the language of the Settlers who have lived in the greatest isolation and who have had the least amount of formal education – has remained North American. Accordingly, the article that follows, while it acknowledges local influence on Settler speech, will be North American in orientation.