Diphthongization in Ngwa Igbo? Evidence from Phonological Correlates of Age Differentiation

Abstract

The study investigates sound change pattern in Ngwa Igbo and seeks to determine whether the sound change pattern could be diphthongization which correlates to age differentiation among speakers of Ngwa Igbo dialect. The study adopted the descriptive research design with random sampling of 50 informants comprising pupils and students of 8-18years in Obi-Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa LGAs. Structured interview was used to elicit data from the informants using a wordlist and voice recorder. The study identified a sound change pattern obtainable in the speech of some young-generation speakers of the Ngwa Igbo dialect whereby in initial and medial positions in some words; there is gliding of the monophthongs /a/ and /e/ to their harmonic front vowel counterparts /i̟/ and /i/ respectively. It is the assumption of this study that the sound change could be diphthongization in Ngwa as evidenced and seen as phonological correlates of age differentiation. The study concludes that the sound change is not yet common by which we mean that it does not apply to all young speakers of the dialect and indeed not obtainable in all words where the vowels (/a/, /e/) occur in the dialect but may gain currency over time. Further analysis or re-analysis of the sound change is recommended as the process keeps evolving.