Presentation

The Pronunciation of /S/II in Complex Onset and Coda Clusters in Somali-Accented English

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Abstract

The pronunciation of /s/ in complex onset and coda clusters presents a formidable challenge to Somali English Language Learners (ELLs). There are two primary reasons why /s/ contributes to accentedness. First, in English /s/ occurs in a wide array of phonological environments in which it is not permissible in Somali. Secondly, many of the distributional patterns of the English /s/ violate the Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP) and the Coda Condition, two widely attested constraints in world languages. This study shows that the Somali pronunciation of /s/ becomes less accented the more the speaker learns to violate these two constraints in the same way that native/proficient speakers of English do. Therefore, teachers can help their students produce /s/ successfully if they teach them two simple strategies: an exaggerated elongation of /s/ in complex onset and coda clusters and an exaggerated voicing of <-s> when it is added as a suffix to a voiced segment.

How to Cite:

Koffi, E., (2010) “The Pronunciation of /S/II in Complex Onset and Coda Clusters in Somali-Accented English”, Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Proceedings 2(1).