Educated Nigerian English Phonemes (Published)
There has been a natural desire for linguistic independence among language experts as the English language has continued to function as a medium of communication in Nigeria since 19th century (Jowitt 2007, Banjo 1971). The realism is seen on the interest in the development of National variety of English and the volumes of scholarly article on the variety of Nigerian English. Some of these articles have adequately proved that grammatical, lexical and phonological systems have attained appreciable standard. But the general publications on these studies have not been harmonized and appropriated. The objectives of this study is to determine and document the common core features of Educated Nigerian English Phonemes (ENEP). The study also analyzes the contexts, the nature and root causes of the emergence of stable phonemic forms of ENE. The researcher also determine whether the distinctive forms are nationally acceptable and internationally intelligible and by so doing, establish the standard ENE Phonemes. Two hundred Nigerians of varied educational backgrounds and levels were selected by a random sampling technique from thirty linguistic groups and different occupational levels in Nigeria. The study reveals that there are stable phonemic features that differ slightly from SBE Received Pronunciation ( RP) but cut across all the levels of education as well as the regional varieties. The study recommends that such features should be accepted as national the standard.
Keywords: English phonemes, Nigerian English, educated Nigerian English