An Analysis of the Nucleus Element in the Syllable Structure of Nigerian English Bilinguals

This study examined the nucleus element in the syllable structure realized by Nigerian-English bilinguals and interpolated it with the same structure in Standard British English (SBE). The purposive sampling technique was used to select seventy (70) undergraduate students in the University of Uyo, Nigeria, comprising respondents from ten (10) linguistic groups. These included the three (3) major-group languages: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa and six minor-group languages: Idoma, Igala, Eket, Anaang, Oro and Ogoni. The instrument used was tagged “Pronunciation Package for Nigerian English Users” (PPNEU), which contained a corpus in which the nuclei of forty five (45) words were tested. The control was a native speaker of English. The data were analyzed perceptually using simple percentages. The result showed that the nucleus element in Nigerian English is characterized by substitution, vowel insertion and vowel neutralization, as stronger vowels were substituted for weak ones. For instance, [ɔ] was substituted for /ʌ/ and /ə/ in certain phonological environments. Equally, [ɑ] was inserted in the final syllable of global /ˈgləʊbəl/, among others. It was concluded that some P-rules such as vowel reduction and schwa deletion do not apply markedly in Nigerian spoken English. The study also concluded that the nuclei elements in this variety of English differ significantly from those of Standard British English, thus signifying that in a second language environment, the segmental phenomena inevitably acquire new features resulting in unpredictable phonological forms that suggest an evolving endonormative patterning in the Expanding Circle Englishes (ECE).

Keywords: Syllable Structure Nucleus Element Nigerian English Expanding Circle Englishes Spoken English

Author

• Ubong Josiah
  Department of English,
  University of Uyo, Nigeria
• Ofonime Ekpenyong
  Department of English,
  University of Uyo, Nigeria