The investigation of ethnolects or ethnic varieties of languages has been around for a while now. While most previous studies have focused on immigrant ethnolects, the present work focuses on an indigenised variety of English, Cameroon English, and how the phonological (pronunciation) features of indigenous Cameroonian languages are represented in English. This study, therefore, lists and describes the major features of two ethnolects of Cameroon English: Nso’ English and Wimbum English. Using data collected from primary school children and university students and graduates, the chapter identifies and describes processes such as diphthong reduction or simplification, vowel lowering, and vowel shortening. Though these processes are common in most ethnolects, their realisation and the vowel phonemes affected are different and specific to each ethnolect.

Given that these vocalic processes resemble processes in the indigenous languages, a possible reason for their persistence in these ethnolects, this chapter illustrates, is substratum influence. Because the major ethnolectal features are also used by acrolectal speakers (i.e. university students and graduates), they are considered here authentic markers of these ethnolinguistic varieties, and pointers to the heterogeneity in (ethnic) accents in English in Cameroon.