A Phonological Analysis of Prophet Odumeje’s Sermons and Public Speeches

Abstract

This paper looks at the phonological features of Prophet Odumeje’s (a Nigerian charismatic preacher known for his unique oratory style, that is characterized by phonological creativities and code-switching) sermons and public speeches. It examines the phonological patterns and phonostylistic features in his speeches and the sociolinguistic implications. This paper analyzes how his speech patterns reflect and shape his identity, religious charisma, and audience engagement. Using a purposive sampling method, the researcher elicits data from online platforms, transliterates and transcribes them to show at a glance, the phonological processes and phonostylistic features in his speeches. Employing a sociophonetics and stylistics theoretical frameworks, the study identifies specific phonological features and discusses their impact on communication skills and audience perception. A qualitative approach was employed in the analysis of the data. The findings show that the preacher uses phonological processes such as metathesis, omission, insertion, addition of strident (overgeneralization of the rule of pluralization), wrong repetition of certain syllables, alliteration, assonance, code switching and code mixing amongst others. Patterns such as substitution and the use of stress that adds a dramatic feature to his words were observed. The researcher spots that the phonological structure of the L1 interferes with that of his L2. This is in line with Okumo (2018) which notes that the phonological structure of the L1 is subconsciously applied to that of the target language. The frequency of occurrence of these processes confirm that there is a gap in the L2.