Stigmatisation of interdental fricative substitutions among L1 Sesotho teachers in Roma, Lesotho

Abstract

This study examines the stigmatisation associated with substituting plosive stops and investigates the substitution of English interdental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/, and the stigmatisation associated with these substitutions among L1 Sesotho teachers in the Roma Valley region of Lesotho. The study was motivated by the observation that interdental fricatives, which are absent from the Sesotho phonological inventory, are frequently replaced by other sounds in the English speech of L1 Sesotho speakers. Specifically, the study addressed two questions: (i) which sounds are used by L1 Sesotho teachers as substitutes for /θ/ and /ð/, and (ii) why these substitutions are socially stigmatised in educational contexts. Data were collected from 12 L1 Sesotho teachers through production tests, semi-structured interviews, and acoustic recordings, which were analysed using PRAAT. The production data were used to identify recurring substitution patterns, while the interview data explored participants’ perceptions and attitudes toward these pronunciations. The findings revealed that the interdental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ were most substituted with the alveolar plosive [t] and the labiodental fricative [f]. Interview results further showed that these substitutions were frequently perceived as non-standard and inappropriate in formal educational settings, particularly by teachers educated in English-medium environments. Optimality Theory was employed as a supplementary framework to explain the observed substitution patterns in terms of markedness and faithfulness constraints. The study highlights the interaction between phonological structure and social evaluation in English pronunciation among L1 Sesotho speakers and contributes to ongoing discussions on language variation, pronunciation norms, and linguistic stigma in multilingual educational contexts.