SEGMENTAL PHONOLOGY: A STUDY OF PERFORMANCE BY ANNANG SPEAKERS OF AKWA IBOM STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This research work set out to examine the performance of Annang speakers of English in Akwa Ibom State University in Segmental phonology. The objectives of the work were to examine the pronunciation of English vowels by Annang speakers of English, assess the articulation of English consonants by Annang speakers of English, determine causes of poor performance of Annang speakers in the realization of English phonemes, and suggest ways by which Annang speakers of English can improve upon their performance in English segments. The Robert Lado's (1957) Contrastive Analysis Theory formed the theoretical framework for this study. A reading test containing the forty-seven sounds of English was administered on ten informants and a tape recorder was used to record their oral performances which were played back several times and analyzed. Findings indicated that the informants did better on those English segments for which there exist equivalents in the vernacular than on English segments for whichL₂ equivalents are none existent. The employment of competent models as teachers of English at the secondary school level was suggested.