Contrastive analysis of Ezza and English Segmental Phonology

Background: Segmental phonology is the idea that speech sounds can be divided into discrete segments. A segment is the smallest unit of language that occurs in a sequence of sounds. Objective: The main objective of this study was to investigate the segmental phonological contrasts in Ezza and English languages. Method: This study adopted structured personal interview to elicit information from ten respondents drawn from Ezza-North and Ezza-South Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State. Result: There were similarities and differences found among the sound units in both speech segments. The identified differences may be the reason for complications some speakers of Ezza language usually encounter in the study of English language as a second language. Conclusion: The study concludes that most Ezza speakers of English language, substitute English sounds with Ezza phonemes close to English sounds. Unique Contribution: This study has contributed positively to the aspect of segmental phonology as it affects Ezza and English languages. It is hoped that the findings would assist L2 of English language in the area of contrastive linguistics. Key Recommendation: Concerted efforts should be made by linguistic scholars, second language teachers, curriculum planners and other educational stakeholders, to devise appropriate methods to address the problems of contrastive segmental phonology.