ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IKA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF AKWA IBOM STATE

Abstract

This paper examined the pronunciation of English words by selected secondary school students in
Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. It focuses on the segmental phonology of English
language. This study assessed the errors made in the area of sounds articulation and identified the
sounds of English that pose problems to the students. It also suggested ways by which they can
improve upon their performance in English pronunciation. The method of data collection was a
reading test administered by the researcher to 60 students in 6 schools using the random sampling
technique. This study used the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis propounded by Robert Lado in 1957
as its Theoretical Framework. From the analysis, the performance of students in some of the English
Vowels was poor in some schools. The most problematic aspects were the English Diphthongs and
Triphthongs as the schools with the highest percentage had only 62% and 24% respectively. For
instance, while some long vowel sounds were shortened, some were replaced with another. Not
much problem was recorded for the English Consonants except for the articulation of the interdental
fricatives, /ð/ and /θ/ and some fricatives such as /z/ and /ʒ/. This paper recommended that Annang
speakers of English should make a conscious effort to articulate the English sounds properly. This
paper concluded that students should pay more attention to oral English the same way they do to
other aspects of English. Good language laboratories should be built and furnished for secondary
schools to aid in oral English learning.