Clear [l]

All realizations of /l/ were ‘clear’. Kachru (1992: 62) lists this as a feature of South Asian English as well. In RP there is an allophonic distribution between a clear and a dark [l]. /l/ is realized as ‘dark’ or velarized [Ɨ] when it is in a word final position or when it is followed by a consonant. It is realized as [l], a ‘clear’ or alveolar [l], in all other contexts. The following examples show that Pakistani speakers do not exhibit this allophonic variation: [go:l] ‘goal’ and  ‘lot’.

The absence of this allophonic variation in PakE may be explained by looking at Urdu, which does not make a distinction between a dark and clear /l/.