<h3>Is Zambian English Accent similar to the British or is it neutral?</h3>
I have met Africans from different parts and each think they speak clearer than the others such as the West African especially Nigerians say they speak English like the British but it seems to me that those from Southern Africa (South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe) seem to speak in a neutral accent, which is clearer than the rest of Africa. By the way which of the Southern African accents is the clearest?
<strong>Botswana best answer:</strong>
<p><i>Answer by Livin' in Lala Land</i><br/>Interesting question.
I think that those countries that were colonies until very recently, and where they had access to the British system until very recently e.g. teachers coming from the UK, or having access to the British University system as a right of having been a former colony, might have accents more similar to the British accent when they talk in English. I would say that Botswana is a very good example of this as many of its citizens had a very recent opportunity to maintain a British English accent as there was a program where Botswana citizens could go to study in England (but they had to come back and do military service afterwards from what I heard).
Countries such as South Africa have a more distinct "South African" English as they have had a fair-sized English speaking population with English as first language for a very long time, hence they would have a less-British accent. This is the same as the Americans who have also had an opportunity to develop a less-British English accent due to a few hundred years of integrating different accents into the American English style.</p>
<p><strong>Botswana, Chobe, 2006, Erik Törner</strong>
<img alt="Botswana" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4119/4797895190_0823f14853.jpg" width="400"/><br/>
<i>Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39267804@N05/4797895190">eriktorner</a></i>
Day tour at Chobe National Park in Botswana.
/ Photo & Copyright Erik Törner, erik@torner.nu.</p>
Orignal From: Is Zambian English Accent similar to the British or is it neutral?
0 Comments