Phonological Changes in Standard Sri Lankan English Across Generations with Special Reference to Past and Present Students of Ladies’ College, Colombo 07

The purpose of this research is to confirm that there is a difference between the phonological features of two different generations of speakers of Standard Sri Lankan English (SSLE) due to the exposure to other varieties of English through the internet and mainstream media. Many younger speakers of SSLE are habitual viewers of American and British television and movies. These speakers have been exposed to these varieties of English from a very young age and still continue to be exposed to these varieties, even more so than their counterparts in the older generations who mostly acquired English from their parents and teachers. This study was conducted with a sample population of 40 SSLE speakers who are past or present pupils of Ladies’ College, Colombo 07. The sample population was divided into two categories, namely speakers between the ages of 18 and 25 and speakers between the ages of 40 and 70. The participants were given a questionnaire to identify their socio-economic backgrounds and their exposure to English. The participants were then subjected to a short interview and requested to read a short excerpt from a young adult novel. These recordings were analysed using the phonetic software PRAAT with special attention given to words containing diphthongs. The recordings were also compared to Standard British English (SBE) and American English (AE) pronunciation. The recordings and pronunciation of each generation was also compared with each other in order to identify the phonological differences. The data obtained from the questionnaires and interviews were analysed in order to identify the factors that affected the changes in phonology from one generation to another. This study showed that there was a difference in the pronunciation and speech patterns of the younger generation in comparison to the older generation who showed features of SSLE and the phonology of the younger generation was affected by continuous exposure to SBE and AE.