ABSTRACT
This study investigates the difficulties faced by Igbo second language
learners of English
spelling. It propose solutions to students’ learning problems in order to improve the teaching and
learning of English spelling in second language situation.
The study revolves around the history of English spelling. The study
also shows that
English is ridiculous, deceptive, and inconsistent as a result of borrowing
from other languages. The inconsistency between spelling
and pronunciation in English
is because there is no one to one correspondence between graphemes and Phonemes.
A sample of one hundred students from a population of four secondary
schools in Nnewi North local government Area was used. Data was collected
through dictation test. The analysis was based on four type of error: omission,
addition. double marking and misordering.
The inconsistencies of English spelling also have a lot of implication
in the students’ learning process with a marked evidence of unintelligibility
and defective pronunciation.
Chapter One
1.0 Introduction
1.1 An Overview
The present study is on the
inconsistency of the English spelling and its implication to second language
learning. In this chapter, the present researcher will discuss the following
sub themes: the status and role of English language in Nigeria, pronunciation
and spelling in English, background to the study, statement of problem, purpose
of study, significance of the study, the scope of the study and definition of
terms.
1.2 The
Status and Roles of English Language in Nigeria
The
English language is neither the mother-tongue nor the first language of any of the
over four hundred ethnic groups in Nigeria. Like the name “Nigeria” English
language according to Uzoezie, “is a borrowed gown and one of the inheritances
of our colonial experience” (162). The language is indigenous to Britain, but
it is today the language most spoken worldwide because of the wide distribution
of the speakers and the users of the language worldwide. The implication of
this fact is that English is used by native and non-native speakers. It is
extensively used as a second language
and as an official language in many countries of the world.
The fact that Nigeria is
multi-national and multi-lingual is a truism. Hansford et al cited in Obi-Okoye
also give an approximate number of four hundred languages spoken in Nigeria. It
is assumed that the existence of many languages means the existence of many
basically antagonistic nationalities trying to form a nation. Thus, there is
mutual antagonism amongst the ethno-linguistic regions of the country, thereby
making the issue of national language question a difficult one. Recourse is
then made to the use of the English language in order to meet our national
communicative needs, more because of its neutrality in the country. This dates
back to 1862 when Lagos was formerly established as a colony by the British
invaders.
According to Anyadiegwu,
English is the “barometer with which the quality, efficiency and effectiveness
of our school curricular are measured” (84). It has become a language for intra
and international trade, a means of diplomacy and the “language that has
enabled the vastly heterogeneous people in Nigeria to forge a means of interaction” (Eyisi,
355). It serves as the unifying factor for the multiplicity of local languages
in Nigeria. It is the language of the mass media and the language
of the law court. It is used for all official transactions. Every official
correspondence is written in the English language.
In fact, English has become
in Nigeria the lingua franca for wider communication. It is also learnt in
schools as a second language with the indigenous languages acting as the mother
tongue or first language.
1.3 Nigerian Language Syllable Structure
As we have noted earlier, Nigeria is a multi-lingual and heterogeneous
speech community with diverse linguistic differences. None of these languages
is genetically related to nor has a syllable structure similar to that of the
English language. Most Nigerian languages belong to the KWA stock. The English
language has a very complex syllable structure which makes it difficult to
learn especially in pronunciation unlike the Nigerian indigenous language that
have a simple syllable structure for example....================================================================
Item Type: Project Material | Size: 90 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
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