English pronunciation in Cameroon: Conflicts and consequences

Abstract This paper shows that American, Nigerian, idiosyncratic and typically Cameroonian features compete with RP forms in the pronunciation of English in Cameroon. This phenomenon is most interestingly illustrated in the speech of broadcasters and teachers. This poses, at the social level, the problem of acceptance by an individual of other models and their speakers, as well as the problem of intelligibility. At the pedagogical level arises the problem of confusion and embarrassment in determining norms in teaching and testing. The paper suggests that these problems can be minimised through a more adequate training of broadcasters and teachers.