Synopsis: the phonology of English in Africa and South and Southeast Asia Conclusion

It is clear from this synopsis that varieties of English in Africa-Asia, especially the L2 varieties, share a great deal of phonological similarities. Particularly striking are the use of a 5-vowel system, plus diphthongs in many varieties; the tendency towards syllable timing; the non-fricative realization of /θ/ and /ð/. In the interests of fidelity to the original transcriptions minute differences between vowels were retained in this summary, rather than attempting to ‘normalize’ some transcriptions (e.g. [a] versus  versus [ɐ]), in the hope of uncovering further broad phonological similarities. This synopsis must therefore be taken as a starting rather than end point of the challenging but stimulating study of the systemic phonological similarities, as well as of the phonetic differences within those overall similarities amongst the Englishes of Africa-Asia.