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    Zimbabwean (Shona) Dialect Sheet

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    k Watts
    This document summarizes the major vowel and consonant sound shifts that occur in the Shona dialect of Zimbabwe compared to General American English. Some key shifts include: 1. Vowels such as [ɛ], [æ], and [ɪ] shift forward or are replaced by [e], [a], and [ɨ] respectively. Diphthongs like [ei] and [ou] lose their second element. 2. Consonants such as [t], [d], [p], and [r] are produced differently, with [t] and [d] made with the blade of the tongue rather than the tip. [P] has no audible release. [R

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    Zimbabwean (Shona) Dialect Sheet

    Uploaded by

    k Watts
    218 views4 pages
    This document summarizes the major vowel and consonant sound shifts that occur in the Shona dialect of Zimbabwe compared to General American English. Some key shifts include: 1. Vowels such as [ɛ], [æ], and [ɪ] shift forward or are replaced by [e], [a], and [ɨ] respectively. Diphthongs like [ei] and [ou] lose their second element. 2. Consonants such as [t], [d], [p], and [r] are produced differently, with [t] and [d] made with the blade of the tongue rather than the tip. [P] has no audible release. [R

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    This document summarizes the major vowel and consonant sound shifts that occur in the Shona dialect of Zimbabwe compared to General American English. Some key shifts include: 1. Vowels such as [ɛ], [æ], and [ɪ] shift forward or are replaced by [e], [a], and [ɨ] respectively. Diphthongs like [ei] and [ou] lose their second element. 2. Consonants such as [t], [d], [p], and [r] are produced differently, with [t] and [d] made with the blade of the tongue rather than the tip. [P] has no audible release. [R

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    218 views4 pages

    Zimbabwean (Shona) Dialect Sheet

    Uploaded by

    k Watts
    This document summarizes the major vowel and consonant sound shifts that occur in the Shona dialect of Zimbabwe compared to General American English. Some key shifts include: 1. Vowels such as [ɛ], [æ], and [ɪ] shift forward or are replaced by [e], [a], and [ɨ] respectively. Diphthongs like [ei] and [ou] lose their second element. 2. Consonants such as [t], [d], [p], and [r] are produced differently, with [t] and [d] made with the blade of the tongue rather than the tip. [P] has no audible release. [R

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    (Shona) Zimbabwean Dialect

    Vowel Shifts:
    General Shona Description Example Words
    American Dialect Shift
    English
    *[ɛ] [e] The first sound in the diphthong “face”. Dress Bed
    or or
    sometimes or Member, empty
    [I]
    [I] is used specifically when a word is spelled with em

    [æ] [a]or [ɛ] First sound in the diphthong [aI] (American “I”, Sky). Trap, Bath
    Consistently shifts to [a] according to the Ask Bath List of
    Words.
    *[i] /[I] [ɨ] Replaces [i] /[I], “y” in final position of spelling, or [I] in Fleece , Creep
    or prefix (berated). Centralized [i]. [i] is moved to the middle or
    “y” final in of the mouth or dulled. Think of the sound in-between [i] Kit, ship, pitch,
    position of and [ɪ]. or
    spelling Berated.
    or
    [I] in prefix
    [ʌ] [ɘ] Centralized [e]. The sound is [e], made in the middle of Strut, Curry
    the mouth.
    [ʒ˞ ] [ɜ] Loses R-coloring. Bird, Nurse, Were
    [ɑ] [ɒ̝] Replaces [ɑ] in words spelled with “o”. British “o”. Bomb, involved,
    [ʒ˞] [ɞ]/[ɘ] [ɞ]/[ɘ] replaces [ʒ˞ ]“ur” in spelling Nuse
    or or or
    [Ɜ] [Ɜ] used for ir in spelling Bird
    or or or
    [e] [e] used for er, ear in spelling Work
    [ɚ] [ə] The schwa losses it’s r-coloring. Sister, traitor,
    hangar,
    *[ʌ] [aː] [ʌ] is replaced with a long and open [aː] Strut,
    or or or
    [ɔ] [ɔ] in words spelled with o and sometimes oo come, flood,
    [ə] [o] In “con” or “com” prefiixes [ə] is replaced with pure “o” or Convince, compare,
    or [o] or
    [ə̝] otherwise a raised sound of the same vowel sound [ə̝] About, banana

    [ɔ] [o] [ɔ] is replaced by pure “o” or [o]. Think of not bringing the Cloth, dog, cough,
    lips forward and relaxing the shape of the mouth. wash, horrid,
    [ɑ] [ɑ̟] The “ah” of father moves forward in the mouth. Father,

    [ɪu] [ju] [ɪu] as in the example words use the liquid [ju] Duty, tune, news
    Consonant Shifts:
    [t]/[d] [t]/[d] made with the blade of the tongue (rather than the tip of the Team, debt
    tongue on the post alveolar ridge).
    [P] [P̚ Non audible release. Very little air is let out. Peep
    [ɹ] [ɾ]/̙[ɹ̙ ] Tapped “R” (made by lightly tapping the top of the tip of Red, dress
    the tongue on the post alveolar ridge) or “r”
    [ð] [ð̪] or [d̪] Both are dentalized. These, there,
    breathe
    [θ] [θ̪] Dentalized. Thin, thick, mouth
    *[l] [ɤ] or [ɫ] or Used in place of a consonant cluster like “PL, BL or LD”: Build, trouble,
    [̙̙ɹ]̙ build, trouble, or a final “L”: fall. [o] with no lip rounding Or fall
    and lips pulled back.

    “L” made by lifting the back of the tongue toward the soft
    palate or an “R”.

    Try making an L by doing the book.

    [dɜ] [dɜ̥] Devoice the second sound. Judge


    [tʃ] [tʃ] Amplify the second sound. So the emphasis falls on [ʃ]. Church
    [h] Sometimes Initial “h” in spelling is sometimes dropped. Home
    dropped
    *[s] [z] Replaces final “s”. Boys

    Dipthong Sound Shifts


    *[ei] [eː] The diphthong loses its second element and lengthens the Face, pain, day,
    primary sound. weight, steak
    [aI] [aɨ] Both diphthongs take the intermediate [ɨ]. Think of Price, eyes, diaper
    [ɔI] [ɔɨ] relaxing the sides of the mouth and shortening the second Choice, boys,
    sound.
    [aʊ̆] [au] Lips come forward and create the longer [u] of the second Mouth, town,
    phoneme.
    * [oʊ̆] [o̹] Drop the second sound and round lips (note the diacritical Goat, sew, go, toe,
    mark) for the pure “o”.
    Diphthongs of R
    *[ɪɜ˞] [ɨ] or [ɨʌ] The first sound becomes the intermediate “I” consistent Near, beer,
    with the dialect and in its short form uses [ɨ] or in the
    longform [ɨʌ].
    *[ɛɜ˞] [eː] The diphthong loses its second element and lengthens the Hair, stare, pear,
    first sound.
    *[ʊɜ˞] [ʊʌ] or [ɔ̝] The sound takes on two forms and is either [ʊʌ] when the Sure, poor, your
    word is important or [ɔ̝] when it’s not
    *[ɔɜ˞] [ɔ̝ː] The first sound moves forward in the mouth, lengthens and North, george,
    loses its second element. pour,
    *[ɑɜ˞] [ɑː] The first sound moves forward in the mouth, lengthens and Start, heart
    loses its second element.
    [aɪɚ] [a.ja] The triphthong separates into distinct parts. Fire
    [aʊɚ] [a.we] The triphthong separates into distinct parts. Hour
    Practice

    Reference for Diacritical Marks and Sound Placement

    Diacritical Marks
    Sound Placement

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