Media Influence On Cameroon Spoken English: A Case Study Of The Speech Patterns of English Speaking Students In The University of Dschang-Cameroon
Abstract
The
paper examines foreign media contact and use in Cameroon; with a special focus
on the English speaking students in the University of Dschang. Films from
Nigeria, Ghana and the Philippines have flooded the Cameroon market and are
being consumed by thousands of students. These media texts consumed are
influencing or affecting the speech patterns of the student in Dschang. In
order to study the phenomenon three research questions were proposed: How do
media influence the speech
patterns of English speaking students in Dschang?
How and in what areas have the speech patterns been influenced? How has this
impacted on their educational outcomes or performances of the students? These
led us to three hypotheses: The films watched, the news listened to by students
have had and are having an influence on their speech patterns. English speakers
in Dschang copy the prosodic features in the media the watch and either code
mixing or integrating them directly into Cameroon Spoken English. The English
speaking students’ performances in prosody is affected influenced by what the
media they watch and listen. We used
two theories: the Media Effects theory by Gerbner George & Gross and the
Communication Accommodation Theory developed by Howard Gilles. Using the Media
Effects theory, we examined the influence that the audio-visual media has on
the students and the society. Within this, we picked out the Cultivation Theory
as the particular model. The Communication Accommodation Theory asserts that
when people interact, they adjust their speech, vocal patterns and their
gestures to accommodation to others.
Data was collected through interviews and at times eavesdropping. Informal observations
were also carried out in the English Speaking Community in Dschang between 2013
and 2016. 180 respondents were involved in the study. After using appropriate
data analytical tools and methods we saw that the modification in speech
patterns is one-way; with 90% of the respondents copying the prosodic features
in the media texts they watched. They either code mixed or integrated them
directly into their Cameroon Spoken English. We conclude that 80.5% of the
spoken forms adopted by the respondents constituted error usage of English in
Cameroon spoken English. Advice is then suggested for viewers on how to avoid
these identified shortcomings from entering into their academic spoken English
performances.
KEY WORDS: Media
influence, Cameroon Spoken English, Cultivation and Communication Accommodation
Theory, error usage, English Speakers’ performances.
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