In "A Survey of Sierra Leonean English", Momodu Turay has assiduously and painstakingly highlighted the relevant features which characterise a variety of the English Language with a stamp of Sierra Leoneaness. It is hoped that native speakers and non-native speakers alike will be enlightened by this discourse and will realize that the Sierra Leonean does not have to sound like a British when he speaks English. The English language is one of the languages of Sierra Leone.

FOREWORD

It has long been recognized that when a language is transplanted, it does not remain the same; it is no longer the exclusive property of the mother country. This is evident in the distinction that is made, for example, between Latin American Spanish and Castilian Spanish. The same is true of the English language. Apart from native speakers with different varieties, there are non-native speakers' varieties. Nowadays we talk of Nigerian English, Ghanaian English, Indian English, Sri Lankan English and so on. With English as the official language of Sierra Leone, it is inevitable that a variety will emerge with its stamp of Sierra Leoneanness. In his A Survey of Sierra Leonean English, Dr. Momodu Turay has assiduously and painstakingly highlighted the relevant features which characterize this variety. It is hoped that native speakers and non-native speakers alike will be enlightened by this discourse and will realize that the Sierra Leonean does not have to sound like a British when he speaks English. The English language is one of the languages of Sierra Leone.

M. E. Ajayi Coomber Linguistics Consultant