ABSTRACT

Language is the first distinguishing factor in group identification.  It serves as a means of identity in a multilingual nation such as Nigeria where English language is spoken as lingua franca by the people who belong to different ethnic groups and who need to communicate with one another. This study x-rays the three major ethnic groups in Kogi state, Nigeria. Though, three ethnic groups are spotlighted, the term variety is used to refer to the larger coalesce forms which represent the three groups as a microcosm of the macrolectal Nigerian English. To carry out this study, samples of recorded voices of penultimate and final year students of the Federal University Lokoja were randomly selected for this study for perceptual analyses only, since a theoretical framework has been identified for an underpinning of the data contents. The Phono-sociolinguistic theory justifies segmental and suprasegmental phonological variables. The theoretical application results in the conclusion that group characteristics and individual traits are recognized as different domains in terms of pronunciation of languages whereas Ebira, Igala and Okun-Yoruba English varieties share similar phonemic features with the Nigerian English.