nigerian english language teachers as … nigerian english language teachers as supposed models for...

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NIGERIAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS AS SUPPOSED MODELS

FOR ENGLISH WORD STRESS ASSIGNMENT

Adenike Akinjobi and Oluyemisi Aina

University of Ibadan, Nigeria,

Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Nigeria

[email protected],

[email protected]

[email protected]

Teachers of English are assumed to be models in the proficient use of English. However,

Nigerian English Language Teachers (NELTS) have been observed to lack competence in

English pronunciation, especially in the use of stress, an English suprasegmental feature,

which has been confirmed by previous studies as a major challenge to Nigerian users of

English. Therefore, this study investigated the extent to which NELTs were able to assign

and reassign stress to English disyllabic and polysyllabic words as well as words with

suffixes. Prince and Liberman’s (1977) Metrical Theory was adopted to describe, through

metrical grid, the alternation between strong and weak syllables in the assignment of English

stress by NELTs. Chomsky's (1965) Linguistic Competence and Performance, adapted as

Academic Competence and Linguistic Performance by Akinjobi (2012), served as ancillary

framework for the study. Forty private and forty public English language teachers, who were

graduates of English, constituted the subjects for this study. Each of the subjects was made to

read twenty test items selected from Gimson’s ‘A Practical Course of English Pronunciation’

into Huckvale’s (2011) Speech Filling System (SFS WASP 1.51) while the audio version of

the items, pronounced by an English mothertongue speaker, was used as the control. The

statistical and metrical analyses show that only 45% of the subjects were able to

appropriately assign stress to disyllabic and polysyllabic words while an insignificant 21.5%

were able to assign stress appropriately to words with suffixes. The overall performance

(20.8%) clearly revealed that NELTS do not model word stress assignment because they do

not approximate to standard use of stress which makes them unsuitable models.

Key words: Nigerian English Language Teachers, Nigerian English, English syllable,

English word stress, suffixes

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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1.0 Background to the Study

Many scholars such as Bamgbose (1971, 1982, 1995), Eka, (1985) Jibril (1986),

Atoye 1989, (2005) Ufomata (1996), Jowitt (2000), Akinjobi (2002, 2011, 2012); Udofot

(2004), Sunday (2008) and Akindele (2010) have attested to the fact that there is a variety of

Standard British English known as Nigerian English. Some have also confirmed that the

phonology of Nigerian English reveals marked variations. These differences are seen in the

segmentals as well as suprasegmentals - stress, rhythm and intonation. In the area of language

teaching, many researchers have worked on many techniques of English language teaching

(Ubahakwe, 1979; Oderinde, 1979; Oluikpe, 1979; Mgbemena, 2007). However, there is

sparse literature on teachers as models. Previous researchers had focused mainly on teachers’

methodologies, students’ performances, language policy, curriculum and evaluation. This

research therefore focuses on word stress assignment by Nigerian English language teachers,

who are considered professionals and had been declared academically competent to teach

stress to learners.

1.1. Statement of the Problem

Trained teachers of the English language are assumed to be experts in English

because they impart knowledge on their students in the subject. They are therefore expected

to be proficient in the use of English which includes the assignment and re-assignment of

stress to English words. However, it has been confirmed that most Nigerians do not assign

and re-assign stress to English words and word groups appropriately. This study therefore

investigated the ability of the trained Nigerian teachers of English to assign and re-assign

stress to English disyllabic words, polysyllabic words and words with suffixes so as to

confirm whether or not they are suitable models for the students they teach.

1.2 Research Questions

The research sets out to answer the following questions:

1. Do Nigerian English language teachers (NELTs) assign stress appropriately or not to

English disyllabic and polysyllabic words?

2. Do Nigerian English language teachers (NELTs) re-assign stress appropriately or not

when suffixes are added to English root words?

3. Do Nigerian English language teachers (NELTs) approximate to Standard English

stress patterns or not?

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4. Are Nigerian English language teachers (NELTs) good models for Standard English

stress assignment?

2.0 English Stress

Stress has been variedly defined by many scholars but central to all the

definitions is the concept of prominence, such that one could simply claim that a stressed

syllable is the most prominent syllable of a word or word group (Robins,1971; Hyman, 1975:

Adegbija, 1998; Cruttenden, 2001) , However, Roach (2010) opines that in almost all

languages, there are some syllables that are stronger than the others and it is these syllables

that possess the potential to be described as stressed. He states further that the differences

between strong and weak syllables are of some linguistic importance in every language

because strong and weak syllables do not occur randomly. Atoye (1991) and Ladefoged and

Johnson (2011) corroborate this view on prominence by stating that stress is a

suprasegmental feature of utterances which makes a syllable to be pronounced with a greater

amount of energy than an unstressed one, thereby causing the syllable to be more prominent

in the flow of speech.

According to Atoye (1991), the simple articulatory factor bears three acoustic

manifestations known as pitch (as we have in English and Swahili), intensity (also in English)

and length (as in English, German, Sotho, Twasana, Xhosa and Fula). All the scholars agree

that syllables that carry both the primary stress and the secondary stress are referred to as

stressed while those that carry the weak stress are referred to as unstressed, and most often

times have their vowels reduced to schwa /Ə/ (Hyman, 1975; Adegbija, 2004; Roach, 1991,

2004, 2010; Davensport & Hannahs 2010; Akinjobi, 2012).

2.1 Word Stress and Suffixation

Cruttenden (2001), Davenport and Hannahs (2010) and Roach (1991, 2004, 2010)

state a number of factors that determine where stress falls in an English word. Among these

are the word class - whether noun, verb, adjective, etc.; the syllable weight - whether heavy

or light; and the morphological structure of the word.

The suffixes -ic, -ity, -ation, which are called stress-shifting suffixes, have their stress

assigned to the penultimate syllables of words they are added to e.g. `photograph,

photo`graphic. However, -ly, -al, -ness are referred to as stress-neutral suffixes because they

have no effect on stress placement as in `personal and `personally.

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With compound words, the most common type of stress pattern is the primary stress

on the first element. In the 2-syllable compounds, the weaker element (usually the second

element) undergoes an obscuration of vowel quality e.g. `POSTman /`pƏustmƏn/ and

`CHAIRman /`ʧeƏmƏn/. In some cases, the second element remains strong as we have in

`CARDboard /ka:dbɒ:d, `windscreen /`windskri:n/. However, there are instances where the

second elements are assigned stress in words like, down`STAIRS, /daun`steƏz/, full-`GROWN

/,ful`grƏun/, ,first`CLASS /fз:st`kla:s/, ,vice-`CHANcellor, /,vais`ʧa:nsƏlƏ/.

3.0 Nigerian English

Many scholars of English linguistics agree that Nigerian English exists as part of the

world varieties of English and that it has its typical features. Broshanam (1958) was the first

to classify Nigerian English into four sub-varieties using formal education as his yardstick.

Banjo (1971, 1996) also does his classification on the basis of formal education and mother

tongue interference to arrive at four varieties. However, Jibril (1982) and Jowitt (1991, 2000)

identify the sub-varieties based on the three major regions in Nigeria. Thus, we have Igbo

English, Hausa English and Yoruba English. However, Bamgbose (1982, 1992, 1995)

identifies three types of Nigerian English which he names as Contact English, Victorian

English and School English.

3.1 Stress Assignment in Nigerian English

Stress has been noted by many scholars as problematic for Nigerian users of the

English language (Banjo, 1971; Kujore, 1985; Akindele, 2010; Akinjobi, 2012). Scholars

such as Amayo (1981) and Udofot (2004) have claimed that a Nigerian speaker hardly uses

stress but tone and word boundary lowering which gives the impression of pitch accent and

shifting of stress to English ears. Bamgbose (1971, 1982), Eka (1985), Jibril (1986),

Ufomata (1996), Udofot (1997) and Jowitt (2000) have observed that there is the presence of

more stressed syllables in Nigerian English than there would be in a native English version of

the same utterance. As Egbe (1979) points out, in a Nigerian speech, one does not usually

hear any syllable receiving a nuclear stress as all of them are given full and almost equal

weight or duration. There are no changes in tune, in tempo and in voice quality as we have in

standard English.

In the words of Kujore (1985:xiv) Nigerian English pronunciation is characterized by

‘’delayed primary stress’’. Thus, there are more accented syllables than expected in the SBE

pronunciation. Akinjobi (2012) notes that there is a striking resemblance between the analysis

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of Kujore (1985) and Jowitt (1991). Jowitt opines that the shifting of stress assignment in

Nigerian English is more systematic with verbs than with nouns and adjectives and that there

is the tendency (in Nigerian English) to shift stress as far to the right as possible in

compound words and complex noun phrases with pre-modification. This, according to him,

applies to stress assignment at the sentence level. Another peculiarity he identified is with the

Nigerian English speakers’ incompetence in the assignment of contrastive stress which is

informational in SBE.

In her study on vowel weakening and unstressed syllable obscuration in educated

Yoruba English, Akinjobi (2012) also concludes that the stress patterns of educated Yoruba

English speakers are markedly different from that of Standard British English.

4.0 Theoretical Framework

Liberman and Prince's (1977) Metrical Theory (MP) and Chomsky's Linguistic

competence and Performance, adapted by Akinjobi (2011) as Academic Competence and

Linguistic Performance, constitute the main and ancillary theoretical framework for this

study. MP captures the strong and weak relational values of stress while Academic

Competence and Linguistic Performance views competence more as an academic reality

rather than a linguistic intuitive one in the second language context such as Nigeria, where

spoken English is learned in school rather than naturally acquired.

4.1 Metrical Phonology

Liberman and Prince (1977) initiated metrical phonology (MP) as an alternative

approach to stress description due to the dissatisfaction with generative phonology (GP). MP

does not consider stress as a feature (like nasality) that could be described as [+stress] or [-

stress] using the binary approach of GP. According to Hayes (1988), metrical theory holds

that unlike other phonological properties, stress is not a feature but rather the hierarchical

rhythmic organization of utterances.

In MP, prominence relations are captured using metrical trees and grids, reflecting the

constituents involved. Metrical phonology does not use the numbering of stress levels and

indefinite lowering of syllables found in GP but tree structure and their nodes which are

divided into S (strong) and W (weak) in relational values (Cruttenden, 2001). In MP, the

labelling captures the relationship and culminative properties of stress; the content words

have at least one stressed syllable. It claims stress is hierarchical and delimitative in

languages such as English where stressed and unstressed syllables alternate and where

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clashes (adjacent stresses) are avoided. In MP, stress is viewed as enhanced segmentally

through germination or by vowel lengthening (Kager, 1995).

4.2 Linguistic Competence and Linguistic Performance

Chomsky (1965) posits that there is a correlation between knowing a language and an

actual performance. He states that the illiterate speaker represents an ideal speaker who is

able to know and use his/her language perfectly without the hindrances of memory

limitations, distractions, shifts of attention/ interest and errors. He explains that linguistic

competence is the speakers’ unconscious knowledge of the grammar of his or her native

language while linguistic performance has to do with the actual production and

comprehension of utterances (Wales,1987; Akinjobi, 2012).

However, Akinjobi (2012) opines that the concept ‘linguistic competence’ will be

inappropriate in the Nigerian context where English is a second language, often learnt in

school and rarely naturally acquired. She claims second language users do not have the

intuition of a native speaker which prompts him/her to know what is wrong or right in his/her

language and most Nigerians possess the linguistic competence described in generative

grammar only in their mother tongues, not in English. She therefore redefines competence in

relation to English in the Nigerian context by proposing academic competence as an

alternative to linguistic competence in the Nigerian setting where rather than acquired,

English (including the supposedly naturally acquired spoken form) is learned in the

classroom.

NELTs, being Nigerian second language speakers of English, do not possess the

linguistic competence of a first language speaker but they have been trained in spoken

English, phonetics and phonology and are expected to have acquired the academic

competence required to achieve a relative level of (linguistic) performance in a subject they

are trained to teach. This study therefore studied the linguistic performance of Nigerian

English Language Teachers (NELTs) with the view that their academic competence should

make them approximate better to Standard English pronunciation than other Nigerians whom

earlier researches have confirmed incompetent in the use of the English suprasegmentals,

especially stress.

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5.0 Research Methodology

The subjects used for this study were forty Nigerian English Language Teachers

(NELTs) from both public and private secondary schools in Ikenne Local Government Area,

Abeokuta, Ogun State. All of them were Nigerian graduate teachers of English and had never

resided in any country where English is used as the first language.

In order to ascertain the subjects’ educational qualifications, teaching experience and

to remove variables that could interfere with the interpretation of the data, questionnaires

were administered on the subjects. The subjects were then made to produce twenty validated

disyllabic and polysyllabic words as naturally as possible into a speech analyser, Huckvale’s

(2011) Speech Filling System (SFS) WASP version 1.51.

6.0 Analysis

The data collected for this study were subjected to statistical, metrical and acoustic

analyses.

6.1 Statistical Analysis

The perceptual analysis was done auditorily by listening to the NELTs’ utterances of the

prepared texts, taking note of the presence and absence of stress (±stress) on the appropriate

syllables. Instances of correct assignment were assigned scores and converted to simple

percentages.

Table 1: Assignment of Stress to Disyllabic and Polysyllabic Words

Words –Suffixes Percentage of

Appropriate Stress

Assignment by

(NELTs)

Percentage of

Inappropriate

Stress Assignment

by (NELTs)

Photograph

/ˈfəʊ.tə.grɑːf/

27 (67.5%) 13 (32.5%)

DEmonstrate

/ˈdem.ən|.streɪt/

2 (05%) 38 (95%)

PROverb /ˈprɒv.ɜːb/ 18 (45%) 22 (55%)

Operate /ˈɒp.ᵊr|.eɪt/ 1 (2.5%) 39 (97.5%)

DRAma /ˈdrɑː.mə/ 27 (67.5%) 13 (32.5%)

STRAtegy

/ˈstræt.ə.ʤ|i/

9 (22.5%) 31 (31.77)

CAPtive /ˈkæp.tɪv/ 31 (77.5%) 9 (22.5%)

CUrious ˈkjʊə.ri.əs/ 14 (35%) 26 (65%)

FInal /ˈfaɪ.nᵊl/ 31 (77.5%) 9 (22.5%)

inFErior /ɪnˈfɪə.ri.əʳ/

20 (50%) 20 (50%)

Total Actual score

& %

180/400= 45%

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Table I shows the performance of NELTs in the assignment of stress to

disyllabic and polysyllabic words. Twenty- seven subjects (67.5%) were able to correctly

assign stress to photograph and drama, while only two subjects (5%) could do that to

demonstrate. Only one subject (2.5%) correctly assigned stress to operate while thirty-

one NELTs (77.5%) were able to correctly assign stress to strategy, captive and final.

Also, 18 subjects (45%) correctly assigned stress to proverb, 14 subjects (35%) to curious

and 20 subjects (50%) to inferior. The overall performance of the NELTs revealed 45%

appropriate stress assignment (AA) and 55% inappropriate stress assignment (IA) to

disyllabic and polysyllabic words.

Figure 1

Table 2 Assignment of Stress to Words + Suffixes (tested in isolation)

Words +Suffixes Percentage of

Appropriate Stress

Assignment by

(NELTs)

Percentage of

Inappropriate

Stress Assignment

by (NELTs)

Photo/graphic

/ˌfəʊ.təˈgræf.ɪk/

55% 45%

Demonstration

/ˌdem.ənˈstreɪ.ʃᵊn/

05% 95%

Proverbial

/prəʊ ˈvɜː.bi.əl/

35% 65%

O/peration

/ˌɒp.ᵊrˈeɪ.ʃᵊn/

10% 90%

Drama tic

/drəˈmæt.ɪk /

50% 50%

Strategic 10% 90%

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/strəˈtiː.ʤɪk/

Captivity

/kæpˈtɪv.ə.t|i/

40% 60%

Finality

/faɪˈnæl.ə.ti/

30% 80%

Inferiority

/ɪnˌfɪə.riˈɒr.ə.ti/

20% 80%

Total No of

NELTs’ actual

score and %

86 21.5%

Table 2 reveals how the individual subjects performed in the assignment of

stress to the words with suffixes when tested in isolation. 55% were able to appropriately

assign stress to photographic, 50% to dramatic, 40% to captivity. A negligible number of the

NELTs correctly assigned stress to the following: 5% to demonstration, 35% to proverbial,

10% to operation,10% to strategic, 22.5% to finality and inferiority respectively. The overall

performance revealed that 21.5% of the subjects appropriately assigned stress to words with

suffixes while 78.5% did not.

Figure 2

22%

78%

AA

IA

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Table 3: Re-assignment of Stress to Words + Suffixes (tested with root/stem words)

Root/stem + suffixes Anticipated

stress shift on

syllables

RP realization NELTs’

realisation

NELTs’

percentage

That

could

assign

stress

appropriately

to both

Photograph /ˈfəʊ.tə.grɑːf/

→photographic .

/ˌfəʊ.təˈgræf.ɪk/

1st →3

rd 1

st →3

rd 1

st → 4

th 50%

Demonstrate

/ˈdem.ən|.streɪt/→demonstration

/ˌdem.ənˈstreɪ.ʃᵊn/

1st → 3

rd 1

st → 3

rd 3

rd → 4

th 0%

Proverb /ˈprɒv.ɜːb/ →

proverbial /prəʊ ˈvɜː.bi.əl/

1st →2

nd 1

st →2

nd 2

nd →3

rd 30%

Operate /ˈɒp.ᵊr|.eɪt/ →

operation /ˌɒp.ᵊrˈeɪ.ʃᵊn/

1st →3r

d 1

st → 3

rd 2

nd → 3

rd 2.5%

Drama /ˈdrɑː.mə/→ dramatic

/drəˈmæt.ɪk /

1st →2

nd 1

st→2

nd 2

nd →3

rd 45%

Strategy /ˈstræt.ə.ʤ|i/→

strategic /strəˈtiː.ʤɪk/

1st → 2

nd 1

st →2

nd 3

rd → 3

rd 5%

Captive /ˈkæp.tɪv/→ captivity

/kæpˈtɪv.ə.t|i/

1st → 2

nd 1

st →2

nd 1

st → 3

rd 35%

Curious /ˈkjʊə.ri.əs/

→ curiosity /ˌkjʊə.riˈɒs.ə.t|i/

1st → 3

rd 1

st → 3

rd 2

nd → 4

th 5%

Final /ˈfaɪ.nᵊl/→ finality

/faɪˈnæl.ə.ti/

1st → 2

nd ‘; 1

st →2

nd 1

st → 4

th 30%

Inferior /ɪnˈfɪə.ri.əʳ/

→ in/feriority /ɪnˌfɪə.riˈɒr.ə.ti/

2nd

→ 4th

2nd

→ 4th

3rd

→ 5th

5%

Total No of actual score and

%

83/400 20.8%

In SBE, words with certain suffixes require stress re-assignment. Table 3 reveals the

percentage of NELTs who were able to re-assign stress when suffixes are added to root

words. The majority of the NELTs could not re-assign stress appropriately to the right

syllables. Only 20 (50%) of the subjects got the re-assignment of stress from pho- of

photograph to the ‘-gra-‘ of photographic, ‘dra’- of drama to ‘–ma-‘ of dramatic

respectively. The worst performance was in demonstrate and demonstration where there was

zero percent (0%).The production of operate and operation (2.5%), strategy and strategic;

curious and curiosity, inferior and inferiority where the performance (5% respectively)

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revealed the inability of NELTs to appropriately reassign stress. The overall performance of

the NELTs in the correct reassignment of stress to words with suffixes was 20.8% while

incorrect reassignment was 79.2%.

Figure 3

79%

21%

AA

IA

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6.2 Metrical Analysis: Dominant Patterns of NELTs Re-assignment of Stress to

Words with Suffixes

The metrical analysis is expected to display an underlying structure in which

S(trong) and W(eak) syllables alternate. NELTs productions revealed the following non-

standard metrical patterns for some selected root/stem words and their forms with suffixes:

Pho/to/graph /ˈfəʊ.tə.grɑːf/ pho/to/gra/phic . /ˌfəʊ.təˈgræf.ɪk/

Metrical Grid for photograph and photographic

Subject

RP X x

X X x x

X X X x X x X

fəʊ tə grɑːf fəʊ. tə græf ɪk

NELT I *x X *x X x

*x X *x X x

x X X x X x X


NELT IX *x X *x X x

*x X *x X x

x X X x X x X


NELT

XIX

*x X *x x

*x X *x x

x X X x X x X


*Unresolved Metrical Clashes

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Metrical Grid for demonstrate and demonstration

Subject

RP x x

x X x x

x X X x X x X

dem ən streɪt dem ən streɪ ʃᵊn

NELT VI * x X X * x X x X

* x X X * x X x X

x X X x X x X


NELT XII *x X *x X x X

*x X *x X x x

x X X x X x X


NELT XXIV *x X *x X x X

*x X *x X x X

x X X x X x X


* Unresolved Metrical Clashes

Metrical Grid for operate and operation

Subject

RP x X

x X

x X x X x

ɒpᵊr eɪt ɒpᵊr eɪ ʃᵊn

NELT II * x X * x X x

* x X * x X x

x X x X x


NELT XI *x X *x X x

*x X x

x X x X x


NELT XX *x X *x X x

*x X x

x X x X x


NELT

XXXVIII

*x X *x X x

*x X x

x X x X x


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*Unresolved Metrical Clashes

From the foregoing, it is obvious that NELTs did not have their vowels reduced to the

/ə/ or /ɪ/ but retained them in their strong forms as opposed to what obtains when vowels

occur in unstressed syllables in SBE. This results in unresolved stress clashes which is

uncharacteristic of SBE. The results confirm the claims of Bobda (1995), Udofot (1997) and

Akinjobi (2012) that speakers of NE do not reduce vowels in unstressed syllable positions.

Bobda claims this accounts for why pastor, tribal and status are pronounced as /past[Ͻ],

trib[a]/ and stat[u]s respectively in NE.

6.3 Acoustic Analysis

The analysis corroborate the established stress patterns for NELTs as found out the

from statistical analysis.

Table 4: Samples of Dominant Patterns of NELTs Pitch Contours in Stress Assignment

to Words ± Suffixes

Photograph

Control NELT subject 1

Photographic


Operate


15

Operation


Curious


Curiosity


Majority of NELTs’ pitch contours reveal flatness, compared to the modulating

contours of the control’s which are typical of SBE form. This disparity could be as a result of

lack of pitch contrast, vowel reduction in unstressed syllables and other phonetic cues which

makes a stressed syllable more prominent than an unstressed syllable in an English word.

Hence, NELTs’ word stress pattern differ markedly from that of SBE and thus corroborates

the claims of Hyman (1975) that prominence is syntagmatic in a stress language because one

syllable is singled out for stress compared to a tone language, where prominence is

paradigmatic.

7.0 Findings

The results of this study reveal that an average number of NELTs were able to

correctly assign stress only to disyllabic words but not to polysyllabic ones. It was also

discovered that with words with suffixes, in isolation, and when produced together with their

roots/stems to test the ability to reassign stress, there was significant poor performance. This

further confirms Akinjobi’s (2012) finding that academic competence may not be a guarantee

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for a brilliant linguistic performance in relation to the use of the English suprasegmentals by

Nigerians.

We can then affirm that the fact that these English language teachers had undergone

training in spoken English, Phonetics and Phonology has not confirmed them as the models

they should be to their students. The overall performance of the subjects in stress assignment

to disyllabic words, polysyllabic words and their inability to reassign stress when suffixes are

added showed clearly that NELTS do not approximate to SBE standard in word stress

assignment.

This study therefore found out that:

Nigerian English language teachers (NELTs) do not assign stress appropriately to

English disyllabic and polysyllabic words, though 45% appropriate use implies

relative mastery.

NELTs do not re-assign stress appropriately when suffixes are added to English root

words. The performance here is clearly poor.

With the proof of the foregoing results, NELTs do not approximate to Standard

English stress patterns.

Therefore, NELTs are not good models for Standard English stress assignment.

Conclusion and Suggestions

From the results obtained from this study, it has been confirmed that Nigerian English

language teachers do not assign stress appropriately to English disyllabic and polysyllabic

words as well as words with suffixes that require a reassignment of stress. The teachers have

been found to perform poorly in the subject they teach. This has a serious implication for the

learners who have a tendency to model themselves after the teachers as well as the average

user of English in Nigerian who sees the teacher as an expert.

Since these teachers, who are supposed to be experts in English language and who

are expected to disseminate knowledge on the use of stress have been found not to be good

models, it is recommended that they should be encouraged to have access to electronic media

such as BBC and CNN where they could listen to native speakers of English. They should

maximise the potentials of Cable network television to practice stress assignment by

watching Cartoon Network (CN), Mnet Series and other cable stations where standard

English can be accessed. Akinjobi (2012b) terms these sources of practical contact with

native English ‘non-enculturation sources’.

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International intelligibility should be the aim of every English language teacher, thus,

every effort should be made to attain this by adopting the attitude of self – development. This

could be achieved by engaging in self-training sessions on the internet. Aromalaran and

Akinyeye (2012) asserts that there are about 500 websites where links to online exercises can

be found along with links to online dictionaries, encyclopaedias etc which can be useful for

Nigerian English speakers as effective means of improving their spoken English. Some of the

many English speech training sites that are online today are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl4-4tUo2GE and http://www.training-

classes.com/providers/00/50/5008_perfect_english_speech.php. The sites are available by

simply searching with any of the online search engines such as Google.

The government, the school administrators and Parent /Teacher Association (PTA)

should make available learning aids that will assist the teachers as well as the students. A

digitalised language laboratory with various English speech software should be available at

the schools for practice and training.

Government should endeavour to invest in the nation’s educational sector by sending

English language teachers for internship or workshops that would enhance their skills in SBE

pronunciation. They may not be as proficient as mothertongue speakers but they should

approximate to the standard patterns of English stress assignment and in consequence attain

international intelligibility.This will make Nigerian teachers of English the models they

should be to their learners and the other users who consider them as experts.

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