An Analysis of Phonological Assimilation Processes of High-Speed Speech of Students of Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa

Abstract

This research work is principally designed to analyse the processes of phonological assimilation of swift speech of students of Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa. The probability method of sampling data was used to select respondents where simple random technique was used. Since the area under the study is densely populated and the entire population could not be covered on individual basis, cross sectional survey design was adopted. The instruments which were used to collect data included sound recorder, checklist and interview. Sound recorder was used to collect data from conversation between the researcher and the respondents. Checklist was used to gather data without derailing from the main point of things to be mentioned by the respondents, while interview was used to collect data from willing respondents. The data collected were processed and analysed, the results were presented in tables for qualitative results and charts for quantitative results. Optimality Theory was used as a theoretical framework for the study. The findings revealed that there is a high occurrence of progressive assimilation in swift speech of students of Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa. The findings also revealed that during high speed speech, students tend to articulate English phonemes with assimilated effects, where the assimilation process is dominant and notable.