Journal of Education and Research

Journal of Education and Research, Volume 15, Issue 2, 2025, 23-34

Online publication date: Sep 25, 2025

Publication date: Sep 30, 2025

Views: 1 | Downloads: 1

This paper describes the phonological features of English as spoken in Nepal (ESN) and interprets them within the theoretical framework of Mufwene (2001, 2009, 2015) and Yakpo (2023). The paper primarily aims to reveal the unique phonological patterns and mechanisms at play in the speech of educated Nepali speakers (ESN) who have acquired English as an additional language in Nepal and abroad. This study unveils several crucial findings. I observed that ESN speakers retain and replace some specific Inner or Outer Circle features or substitute or modify certain consonant clusters. ESN speakers tend to maintain some vowel qualities, while others undergo shifts in articulation, shortening the vowel length and merger. Vowel insertion and adjustment of syllable boundaries are unique tendencies of ESN speakers. These tendencies impact the stress pattern. ESN speakers tend to pronounce words according to English spelling. This paper contributes to our understanding of the emergence of new language varieties within the theory of linguistic indigenization. This study also underscores the phonological diversity among new Englishes by highlighting the intricate interplay of linguistic adaptation in phonology.

English in Nepal New Englishes phonological features phonology of English as spoken in Nepal

1. Adhikari, B. R., & Poudel, P. P. (2024, October 7). Nepali English creative writing: Historical trajectory and strategies adopted by Nepali English creative writers. Asian Englishes, 27(1), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2024.2405268
2. Carstairs-McCarthy, A. (2002). An introduction to English morphology. Edinburgh University Press.
3. Deterding, D. (2007). Singapore English. Edinburgh University Press.
4. Gimson, A. C. (1990). An introduction to the pronunciation of English (4th ed.). Edward Arnold.
5. Giri, R. A. (2014). Changing faces of English: Why English is not a foreign language in Nepal. Journal of World Languages, 192-209.
6. .
7. Kachru, B. B. (1985). Standard, codification, and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the Outer Circle. In R. Quirk & H. G. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning of language and literature (pp. 11-36). Cambridge University Press.
8. Kerr, R. (1999). Planning and practice: Factors impacting on the development of initial education in Nepal, with special reference to English language teaching, 1950-1995. [Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation]. Victoria University of Technology.
9. Khatiwada, R. (2009). Nepali. Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 373-380.
10. Ladefoged, P., & Maddieson, I. (1996). The sounds of the world languages. Blackwell.
11. Leadership Academy. (2013, January 23). Debate: Nepali language should be used as the medium for teaching in all schools of Nepal. Nepal: Top 7 Debaters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e7dxtgA2ZU
12. Levi, W. (1952). Government and politics in Nepal. Far Eastern Survey, 185-191.
13. Masica, C. P. (1976). Defining a linguistic area: South Asia. University of Chicago Press.
14. Masica, C. P. (1993). Indo-Aryan languages. Cambridge University Press.
15. Meyer, C. F., & Nelson, G. (2006). Data Collection. In B. Aarts & A. McMahan, The Handbook of English Linguistics (pp. 93-114). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
16. Mufwene, S. S. (2001). The ecology of language evolution. Cambridge University Press.
17. Mufwene, S. S. (2009). The indigenization of English in North America. World Englishes - Problems, priorities and prospects: Selected papers from the 13th IAWE conference, 353-368. https://doi.org/10.1075/veaw.g40.21muf
18. Mufwene, S. S. (2015). Colonization, indigenization, and the differential evolution of English: Some ecological perspectives. World Englishes, 34(1), 6-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12129
19. Pandey, S. B. (2020). English in Nepal: A sociolinguistic profile. World Englishes, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12490
20. Poudel, T. (2016, January 1). English in Nepal: From colonial legacy to professionalism. ELT Chautari.
21. Poudel, T. (2021). English in Nepal: History, development and policies. Kathmandu University.
22. Rai, V. S. (2006). English, Hinglish and Nenglish. Journal of Nepal English Language Teachers' Association (NELTA), 34-39.
23. Sailaja, P. (2009). Dialects of English: Indian English. Edinburgh University Press.
24. Schneider, E. W. (2004). Global synopsis: Phonetic and phonological variation in the English world-wide. In E. W. Schneider, K. Burridge, B. Kortmann, & R. Mesthrie (Eds.), Handbook of varieties of English (Vol. 1: Phonology, pp. 1111-37). Mouton de Gruyter.
25. Schneider, E. W. (2007). Postcolonial English: Varieties around the world. Cambridge University Press.
26. Sedlatschek, A. (2009). Contemporary Indian English: Variation and change. John Benjamins.
27. Sharmah, P., Gogoi, D. V., & Wiltshire, C. (2011). Thai English: Rhythm and vowels. In L. Lim & N. Gisborne (Eds.), The typology of Asian Englishes (pp. 75-95). John Benjamins.
28. Sridhar, S. N., & Sridhar, K. K. (2020). Indian English. In K. Bolton, W. Botha, & A. Kirkpatrick (Eds.), Handbook of Asian Englishes. Routledge.
29. Stanlaw, J. (2004). Japanese English: Language and culture contact. Hong Kong University Press.
30. Yakpo, K. (2019). A grammar of Pichi. Walter de Gruyter HmbH &Co. KG.
31. Yakpo, K. (2023). The indigenization of Ghanaian Pidgin English. World Englishes, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12635

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest concerning this article's authorship and publication.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.