St. Helena English: phonology

Introduction

The volcanic island of St Helena is situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1 930 km west of Angola. Its nearest neighbor is Acension Island, approximately 1 100 kilometres to the northwest. St Helena covers 122 sq km, a large proportion of which consists of steep, relatively barren and rocky territory, unsuitable for cultivation. The island’s capital and only town is Jamestown, although there are other smaller settlements such as Blue Downs, Sandy Bay and Longwood (home to Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the island from 1815 to his death in 1821). St Helena’s population of approximately 5 000 (1998 census) is almost without exception of mixed European, African and Asian origin. English is the only language spoken on the island.