Newfoundland English

Newfoundland English is a variety of English that is spoken in Newfoundland. The English spoken in the province of Newfoundland is very distinct from that of the rest of Canada. However, many Newfoundlanders speak a variety of English that is similar to standard Canadian English. The English spoken in Newfoundland can vary significantly from one speaker to another.

Newfoundland English is mainly rhotic. However, in certain regions of the country, it is not rhotic. This is different from standard Canadian English, which is rhotic.

In the western part of Newfoundland, initial fricative voicing occurs. The result is that a phrase such as a fine summer is pronounced with a /v/ in fine and a z/ in zummer.

H-dropping is common in many parts of Newfoundland. Words such as hat, here and hunter are often pronounced without the initial consonant.

Final consonant clusters are often simplified. For example, the words gold, shift and west are often pronounced without the final consonant.

In many parts of Newfoundland, the lateral is not velarized. This feature is also common in Irish English. For example, the word all can be pronounced without velarization of the lateral, unlike in other varieties of Canadian English.

Another common feature of Newfoundland English is the pronunciation of the interdental fricative as a plosive. For example, the words these and those are often pronounced with /d/, and the words thick and thin are often pronounced with /t/.

The vowels of Newfoundland English can also be distinct. In words such as mother, many Newfoundlanders use the low back vowel and in words such as father, many Newfoundlanders use the low central vowel rather than the low back vowel of standard Canadian English.

The English spoken in Newfoundland is distinct from the variety of English spoken in the rest of Canada. It is a variety of English that has been influenced significantly by the English of the West Country and of Ireland. It was the last province to join Canada, in 1949.