English-Conference Papers

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Bilingualism in Pluricentrism: Investigating the Conflict of Standards in English Pronunciation in Nigeria
(International Conference on African Literature and the English Language,, 2016) Anyagwa, Carol Ngozi
The English language in its many varieties embodies the legacy of European colonisation in many African countries, with the consequence of making many Africans bilingual in English and their indigenous languages. One controversial issue about bilingualism in Africa, however, has been the question of accent; given that both endoglossic and exoglossic models exist for English pronunciation. Obviously, on paper, many Anglophone African countries settle for the „prestige‟ accent of their colonial masters which, in former British colonies, is the Received Pronunciation (RP). However, a close look at the accent of English spoken/ taught in a country like Nigeria shows that what obtains is a hybrid accent manifesting not just local features but also pronunciation features of more than one exoglossic standard. Using primary data collected from 100 teachers and students of English in Lagos, Nigeria, the study reveals the confusion created by the coexistence of these multiple pronunciation models in the country. The study, therefore, lends its voice to the query about the rationale behind the adoption of exoglossic spoken models for the teaching of English pronunciation in Anglophone African countries.