Impact of Technology-based Non-enculturation Sources of Native English on Yoruba (Nigerian) Teenage English Nuclear and Contrastive Stress Assignment

This study examined the impact of technology-based non-enculturation sources on Yoruba (Nigerian) teenagers’ nuclear and contrastive stress assignment to determine the suitability of the facilities as ancillary models of spoken English in Nigeria. Labov’s variability theory and Liberman and Prince’s metrical phonology served as theoretical framework. Participants were purposively selected from 300 University of Ibadan teenage undergraduates (UIYTUs) and a Briton, who served as the native baseline (NB). The teenagers’ technology (TC) levels were ascertained through a questionnaire. Participants were stratified into High(H), Mid(M) and Low(L) TCs. Their production of a prepared text into Speech Filing System (version 1.54) constituted the data which were analysed statistically, metrically and acoustically. The teenagers’ nuclear stress assignment to regular [F(2, 297)=63.78; p<.05] and contrastive [F(2, 297)=50.93; p<.05] Designated Terminal Elements was reflective of their level of technology exposure. HTC exhibited metrical pattern similar to the NB. MTC either imposed stress on metrically weak syllables or assigned stress following the NB pattern. LTC productions were predominantly characterised by stress clash. Sample HTC spectrograms showed the highest amplitude and longest duration for the nuclearly stressed syllable. Although the spectrograms of the MTC displayed some alternation, the nuclearly stressed syllable did not receive its due prominence. Sample LTC spectrograms displayed flatness. Technology-based non-enculturation sources of native English available to teenage Nigerians have the capability of enhancing their spoken English. These technological devices should be explored as alternative model of English pronunciation.