This study investigated foreign accent acquisition by second language users in
Nigeria. Data for this study were four internet videos that were purposively
selected for this study. These videos showcased a rap musician, a stand-up
comedian, a Nigerian Nollywood actor and a Premier League football fan all of
whom spoke the British English or American English accents in their various
endeavours. Their speaking styles were transcribed and the phonological
properties of intonation, vowel articulation and rhythm were subjected to
both perceptual and acoustic analyses. The acoustic analysis was done using
the sound analyser PRAAT. A synthesis of Flege’s Speech Learning Model and
Escudero & Boersma’s Second Language Perception Model formed the
framework on which this study was hinged. The study found out that due to
the influence of the first language, some L2 users in Nigeria failed to perceive
L2 sounds accurately, hence, they engaged in sound reduction, substitution and
lengthening. Also, there were differences in segmental perception between
native and non-native sounds which sometimes led to poor accented
utterances. Furthermore, all the participants in this study lacked the ability (as
adults) to store and structure L2 sound information in long-term memory due
to decrease in human brain plasticity. Finally, mimicking foreign accent comes
naturally to some L2 users though such users may not fully come to terms with
the articulation of a few phonological and lexical items that cannot be
maintained in long term conversational interactions. These findings informed
the conclusion that it is possible to acquire foreign (English) accent in an L2
environment even without leaving the shores of such an environment.
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