Some specific phonological processes of IndE

As a formally-learnt variety IndE shows greater correlation between writing and speech sounds than one encounters in informally learnt L1 English. In North India vowel-initial consonant clusters of the type #sp- ; #st-, # sk- and #sl- are generally broken up. In eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar a short high prothetic vowel /ɪ/ is inserted in the word-initial position: hence [ɪspi:ʧ] for speech and [isku:l] for school. In Punjab and Haryana, on the other hand, the low-back, untensed, svarabhakti (or anaptyctic) vowel /ə/ is inserted between the clusters: hence [səpi:tʃ] for speech and [səku:l] for school. Both these processes convert the initial monosyllable into a disyllable.

In the north-east, particularly in Nagaland and Manipur, a word-final consonant cluster is simplified by dropping the last consonant, e.g., act is realized as [εk] and fruits as .

In South India svarabhakti operates in word final –nst # clusters. Thus, against is realized as [age:nəst].

IndE also reveals at times /ə/ deletion in relatively light positions, in keeping with BrE norms: dispensary = /dɪs'pεnsəri/ = [dɪs'pεnsri] ; allegory = /ə^Ilεgəri:/ = [ə^Ilεgri:]; confederation = /kənfεdə^Ire:ʃən/ = [kənfεd^Ire:ʃən].

Wh- words are often articulated with the /wh/ sequence, as in [wha:i] and [wheyər] for why and where respectively. That is, /w/ is aspirated, not pre-aspirated as in RP and a few other English dialects.

Geminates frequently occur within and across morpheme boundaries in words like the following:

IndE shows greater usage of [d] rather than of [t] for –ed inflections after voiceless consonants. Thus traced = [tre:sd], advanced = [εdva:nsd] and packed = [pækd]. Words like trust and trussed are homophones in RP but are distinguished in IndE by the realization of [t] and [d] in the respective words.

Some speakers omit the semivowels /j/ and /w/ when following a mid or close vowel agreeing in backness. Thus yet is realized as  and won’t as . Conversely, it has already been mentioned that some other speakers add a semivowel before an initial vowel in exactly the same conditions, thus every = [jevri], about =  and old =  , own = [wo:n] etc.

It should also be noted that the rule of syllabic consonant formation (which converts [ə] plus a sonorant into a syllabic sonorant) does not apply in IndE. Thus metal = , button =  etc.