INTRAFERENCE PHENOMENA IN SPOKEN NIGERIAN ENGLISH

Abstract

The English language spoken in Nigeria is most times considered different due to the interference of many mother tongues preexisting in the country. In fact, language variation is not necessarily the result of the interference of mother tongue, but the results of linguistic and extra linguistic factors within the English language. Clearly, if elements of the same language have enough linguistic substance, they can interfere with each other. Therefore, this study aims to explore the phenomena of intraference in phonology of Nigerian English. Thirty words were used in the oral interview to test teachers of nursery, primary and secondary of Nnamdi Azikiwe and Nwazor Orizu schools, Awka, Anambra State to elicit primary data for analysis. Many speeches by prominent Nigerian intellectuals were also collected and recorded spontaneously through non-participatory observation. The results showed that more than 70 percent of respondents clearly expressed or pronounced the given word. The data is presented in a simple percentage count and annotated where necessary. This thesis is based on William Labov theory of variation sociolinguistics. This paper finds inconsistencies in English phonological rules: spelling, pronunciation, phoneme redistribution and stress placement. Based on this, the researchers conclude that the changes are not to be disregarded because they are the result of the application of internal language rules, common in English and similar to output in all spoken English.