The Impact Of Mother Tongue On Teaching And Learning Of English As A Second Language In Junior Secondary Schools
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to look at and identify the impact of mother tongue on teaching and learning of English as a Second Language in Junior Secondary Schools in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue state. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A random sample of 160 English teachers was drawn from schools in the study area to respond to the questionnaire. Three research questions were formulated respectively. The data collected were analyzed using simple percentages, mean and standard deviations to analyze the research questions and the chi-square (x2) statistics at an alpha level of P < 0.05 to test the hypothesis. Findings showed that the mother–tongue has a significant impact on the pronunciation of English sounds, use of lexical items and the use of English grammar. The conclusion was drawn that mother–tongue impacts significantly indeed on the teaching and learning of English as a second language and so there is need for the language to be spoken and used appropriately and intelligently such that it will be devoid of every mother–tongue impact. It was recommended that over-reliance on the structures and lexicons of the mother tongue by second language learners should be discouraged and controlled by second language teachers. Also, second language teachers should endeavour to give priority attention to the development of oral language competence in the second language learner.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Language is the pivot on which all human activities ranging from the most prosaic to the most profound revolve. Language provides the world view, moral values and virtually all the basic ingredients of any given society which are passed on from generation to generation.
The essential thread that runs through all these activities is communication. That is, interlocutors, trying to exchange their ideas. It is the most lasting and enduring artifact of culture. As a natural ability, a language is an indispensable tool that human beings use daily for communication; it enables a social group to codify, preserve and share its values, ideas, philosophy, technology and history. It also permeates our thoughts and areas into our dreams. The bulk of human knowledge is stored in language.
Language is characterized by a set of vocal sounds which can be decided. These are produced by the human organs of speech namely, lips, tongue, larynx, glottis, pharynx, nostrils, teeth, soft palate, hard palate, uvula, trachea, velum and alveolar ridge. It is an integral part of the culture; a reflection of many features of a given cultural experience (Akindele 2005).
Language is a productive or creative phenomenon. This suggests that out of the alphabets produced in a language, a limitless number of sentences, paragraphs exist and operate within a language of one form or the other. Human beings, therefore, use language to communicate their individual thoughts, inner feelings and personal psychological experiences. It must be stressed that human beings communicate using signs, symbols, nods, dresses, and other socially acceptable formalities. It is an indispensable tool for teaching and learning as well as the development of human beings.
The Impact Of Mother Tongue On Teaching And Learning Of English As A Second Language In Junior Secondary Schools
The most important role of language is its usefulness as a medium of social communication. The entrenchment of the English language in Nigeria is perhaps most noticeable in the field of education. English is taught as a second language (L2) in Nigerian schools. English as a second language in Nigeria plays a vital role in connecting people of different linguistic backgrounds and playing the prominent role of being the language of education. Beyond the early elementary level of schooling, English as a second language (L2) becomes the medium of instruction. The Nigerian National Policy on Education (2004; 12) leaves no one in doubt about this.
Nigeria is a heterogeneous or multi-lingual country with diverse cultures. The government will see to it that the medium of instruction in primary school is initially the mother tongue or the language of the immediate environment and at a later stage, English (Bamgbose 1971). Because of Nigeria’s multi-lingual nature, it is quite glaring that it is really difficult to have a single language as the medium of communication and particularly for instruction, hence the adoption of English language as the official language of communication and instruction in Nigeria.
In view of the prominent role assigned English in the Nigerian Situation, the participation function of the language becomes crucial in the lives of the people. The status of English as a second language implies that” English plays a very important function in the social, professional and educational lives of Nigerians” (Banjo, 1999). Indeed to be regarded as an educated Nigerian, according to Banjo, some level of proficiency in English is required.
There is, however, a noticeable disparity in the features of the Nigerian indigenous languages: Mother tongues and those of the second or target language. When one speaks or writes, there is usually a transfer of features of the mother tongues (MT) into the second language (L2). This phenomenon gives rise to the mother tongue exerting major impacts on the second language. This is usually referred to as “interference “. Brimful (2001:14) confirms this when he points out that:
“Truly, Nigerian learners cannot learn English effectively as possible as the native speakers due to the effect of their mother tongue which is most noticeable at the phonological level”.
There may be an incidence of interference by direct translation. In the case of grammar and phonology, it is easily noticeable that some vowels of the mother tongue (MT) are not present in the English language and vice-versa. There may be instances where some learners of English insert imaginary vowels between consonant clusters, thereby reflecting all manner of local and regional impacts which makes the teaching and learning of the target language difficult for learners.
One implication is that English has to be taught and learned very well. According to Tiffen (1996), it is a question of ensuring that learners have a complete mastery of the language. Second language learners appear to accumulate structural entities of the target language but demonstrate difficulty in organizing this knowledge into appropriate coherent structures which is often caused by the impact of their mother tongue.
Based on the existing conflict between mother tongue (MT) and English language, the researchers decided to carry out the study that is concerned mainly with the impact of the mother tongue on the teaching and learning of English as s second language in Junior Secondary Schools in Makurdi LGA of Benue state.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In deciding to carry out research in this area, certain problems stimulated the researchers to investigate and ascertain the extent to which mother tongue impacts the teaching and learning of English as a second language in Junior Secondary Schools in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
In fact, learning a second language after a child has acquired its mother tongue (MT) is bound to be problematic. There may be an incidence of interference by direct translation in the case of the mother tongue on the English language and wrong translation of lexical items from mother-tongue onto the teaching and learning of the English language. This study is, therefore, designed to survey the impacts of mother tongue on teaching and learning of English as a second language in Junior Secondary Schools in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue state.
The Impact Of Mother Tongue On Teaching And Learning Of English As A Second Language In Junior Secondary Schools
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The aim of this research work is to investigate the impact of mother tongued (MT) on the teaching and learning of English as a second language in Junior Secondary Schools in the Makurdi Local Government Area. Specifically, the study seeks to:
(i) Investigate the impact of mother tongue on the pronunciation of English by learners at the Junior Secondary School level.
(ii) Examine grammar and the impact of mother tongue on the use of English grammar by learners at the Junior Secondary School level.
(iii) Find out the impact of mother tongue on the lexical features of English as a second language.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions have been formulated to serve as a guide for this study.
- In what ways does the mother tongue affect the pronunciation of English sounds by learners at the Junior Secondary School level?
- How does the mother tongue affect the use of grammar by English learners at the Junior Secondary School level?
- To what extent does mother tongue affect the use of lexical items of English by learners at the Junior Secondary School level
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following hypothesis is formulated and will be tested at a 0.05 level of significance.
- Mother’s tongue has no significant impact on the pronunciation of English sounds by Junior Secondary School learners of English language.
- Mother’s tongue has no significant impact on the use of grammar by Junior Secondary School learners of English language.
- Mother’s tongue has no significant impact on the use of lexical items of English as a second language.
The Impact Of Mother Tongue On Teaching And Learning Of English As A Second Language In Junior Secondary Schools