Lexical stress in Ghanaian English.
| dc.contributor.author | Adubofour, Isaac Kwabena | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-02T12:11:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-02T12:11:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019-06 | |
| dc.description | A Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of Degree Of Master Of Philosophy In English. | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study sought to conduct a suprasegmental description of Ghanaian English (GhE) by looking at lexical stress in the variety. The study concerned itself with showing how GhE compares with native pronunciation of English as regards lexical stress. Other objectives included providing reasons for the differences between the two and determining what stress cue is significant for studies of this nature in non-native contexts. The study relied on the mixed method design. Eight participants were sampled for the study via a mixture of purposive and random sampling methods to represent the four major indigenous languages in Ghana – Twi, Fante, Ewe, and Ga. They were picked with the help of a questionnaire which was designed to identify participants who are genuine speakers of the indigenous languages considered for the study. The participants pronounced lists of monosyllabic, disyllabic, and polysyllabic words in isolation and in sentences five times each. The data was coded and analyzed with PRAAT, a speech analysis software. First, the syllables of the words were extracted and their intensity and pitch values were taken for the multiple times they were called. These values were recorded unto MS Excel software where the mean values and standard deviation values were calculated. The study revealed that the participants correctly stressed common words in isolation and in context; they stressed words better in isolation than in context; difficulties in pronouncing words affected stressed placement; and intensity may be the ideal cue for measuring prominence in non-native setting. Findings from this study have shown that the teaching of English in Ghana could be improved by emphasizing the suprasegmental aspect as well as the segmental aspect. Considering the limited size of the sample for this study, it is recommended that future researches can still look into lexical stress in Ghanaian English as well as other descriptions of the variety. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | KNUST | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir.knust.edu.gh/handle/123456789/17149 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | KNUST | |
| dc.title | Lexical stress in Ghanaian English. | |
| dc.type | Thesis |