ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF MOTHER-TONGUE ON ENGLISH STUDIES (A CASE STUDY OF EBIRA STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF ADMINISTRATIVE STUDIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, KADUNA POLYTECHNIC, KADUNA)

ABSTRACT

Long before now, English Language has been given a very high status in Nigeria. The status and functions given to English in Nigeria has made it become imperative for every Nigerian citizen to learn how to speak, read and write the language. This is as a result of the pluralistic linguistic situation of Nigeria which has made it impossible for national language. This accounts for why English has been fixed prestigious domains of use in Nigeria. This study was undertaken to investigate and shed more light on the effect that mother-tongue influence has on spoken English in Nigeria. The focus of this study is on selected mother-tongue factors affecting English language in Nigeria. In order to manipulate variables properly to achieve tenable results, this study focused on the phonetic and phonological levels of mother-tongue interference. 50 Ebira learners/users of English were sampled from the College of Administrative Studies and Social Science, Kaduna Polytechnic, where Ebira is their native language. Tape recorders and smart recorders were instruments of data collection alongside (phonetic) articulation tests. The method used in the analysis of data was descriptive and quantitative. The sources of data were relevant textbooks, magazines, journals, libraries (online and offline) and the internet. The findings revealed that, the mother-tongue of Ebira learners/and users of English negatively influences their spoken English, significantly in their articulation of English consonants, vowels and consonant clusters; and intonation. The researcher conclude with some recommendations that Instructors of English Language should be advised to employ reinforcement measures on the students in order to motivate the students to learn and improve their spoken and written English.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

Language is a medium of communicating ideas, information, emotions, and desires through arbitrarily produced symbols. The thoughts, ideas and feelings are connected through language. Language is a tool used for communication. Many languages are used by the people across the world. Though all the languages are meant for communication, many people use English language to communicate. English language is used by people beside their mother tongue. In the age of Globalization, it is extremely important to teach English language. Davies, (2020).

Judie (2020), in her work stated that only official language that can be understood by everyone across the world is English. The influence of mother tongue in teaching and learning English language has been debated since long. The pronunciation errors occur due to the difference in the spelling symbols and sound system between the mother tongue and English. Therefore, the problem can be solved by introducing English language in the basic school life and by promoting skills in spoken English.

The sound pattern which are likely to be confused and faltered with the mother tongue can be identified and drilled. The learners should practice these sound patterns repeatedly using a native speaker’s model voice. These measures will eliminate the impact of mother tongue in teaching and learning English language and accelerate the acquisition of English language.

The study is on the need to unveil the negative impact that mother-tongue influences poses to Nigerian speakers of the English Language at the phonetic levels using Ebira learners of the college of administrative studies and social sciences Kaduna polytechnic Kaduna as a case study.

Carrol (1964) opined that the circumstances of learning a second language are like those of the mother-tongue and that sometimes, there are interferences and occasional responses from one language system that intrudes into the other language. When there are similar units of language structure in both language, linguistic interference can result in correct language production which is termed positive transfer; correct meaning in line with most Speakers notions of acceptability.  

In terms of structural influences, every individual native language/mother tongue does have an effect, this effect is however not always negative, it can be positive as well. Negative transfer occurs when speakers and writers transfer items and structures that are not the same in both languages. Studies by earlier scholars have shown that the more similar both languages are, and the more the learner is aware of the relation between them, the more likely positive transfer will occur. The place and position of English language in Nigeria is incontestable and highly significant. In addition to being a second language in all part of the country, it is the language for almost all official communication, both written and spoken. Eha, (1992).

1.2     Statement of the Research Problem

English is the universal language; little wonder therefore that the average Nigerian strives to not just speak it, but speak it with an appreciable measure of skill. Given also the plurality of Ebira languages in Nigeria and the inability of the Nigerian Government to adopt any one overall others as the official language of nations, English has been accepted by the majority to fit into this very important role. It is safe to say that majority of the Ebira students who necessarily have to use the English language every day, already have their native language as their mother tongue or first language. English is a second language for them and therefore it will inevitably pose challenges to them. Usually lexical items in Ebira language do not alow consonant clusters; English lexical items permit up to five consonants in a cluster. The English lexical item, school, for instance is realized as /skul/ by the English and /sukul/ by the Ebira people because of their native intolerance or consonant clusters. In syllabic consonants such as /tl/ in the world “little” transcribed as “Litl”, most Ebira English learners/users would insert a schwa /∂/ or short, back, rounded vowel /∂/ into the consonant cluster /tl/. This would sound like /litol/ or /litol/. This normally occurs because the syllabic consonant /tl/ is not found in the sound inventory of Ebira language. Likewise there is a change of the phonetic sound known as schwa /∂/with a short, front, unrounded vowel /æ/ or with the using diphthong /ei/ in the initial position of the word ‘around’ which is realized as /∂round/; but an Ebira speaker of English would pronounce it as /eibout/ or as /a:bout/. This is because, schwa being a short-rounded vowel not found in the Ebira sound system, has to be substituted for another vowel or vowels that is present in the Ebira sound system. Hence the focus of this study to assess the influence or phonetic factors on an Ebira student speaker of the English Language.  

1.3     Research Questions

1. Does the transfer of phonetic features from Ebira Language negatively influence spoken English of student of CASSS?
2. Does the transfer of phonological factors from Ebira language negatively influence Spoken English of students of CASSS?

1.4     Aim and Objectives

The aim of this study is to assess the influence or phonetic on an Ebira student speaker of the

English Language. To accomplish this aim, the detailed objectives are to;

1. To find out the kind of influence that mother-tongue has on an Ebira student of the college of administrative studies and social sciences Kaduna polytechnic.
2. To study how phonetic features of Ebira language intrude upon a student spoken English. iii. To carry out a contrastive analysis between English and Ebira Language.