Variant Word Stress Patterns in the Spoken English of Selected Nigerian Teachers

Abstract

Earlier studies on word stress patterns in Nigerian English (NE) have focused mainly on how it differs from British English (BE) and have presented a picture of homogeneous and deviant word stress patterns in NE. Currently, little is known about the variant word stress patterns in NE. In line with the above statements, this study examines empirically the variations in the stress patterns in spoken English, but does so in relation to selected Nigerian teachers. The data were sourced through a text-based research instrument designed to test the stress placement of some English words by purposively selected teachers drawn from Kano, Oyo and Imo states,
representing the three major ethnolinguistic groups in Nigeria. From each of the three states, 108 teachers who were
indigenes were selected from primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education making 324 in all. They were made to read prepared passages made up of 50 items in context and in isolation. A close perceptual analysis was carried out to ascertain the differences in the performance of the respondents on word stress. The paper employed Metrical Theory for the data analysis. The study revealed that the
subjects manifested sophisticated (VIII), standard (VII) and non-standard (VI) variant word stress patterns in their articulations. It concluded that variant stress patterns of the NE are direct consequences of some sociolinguistic variables.