ABSTRACT
This research
work is a cursory observation of how the English Fricatives are used among the
Yoruba speakers of English Language.
At the phonemic
level of interference, English Language for instance has the voiceless
fricatives /θ/ which is absent
in the Yoruba Language. For this sound, the Yoruba
Speakers of English substitute the voiceless alveolar fricative /t/. Thus,
the English word "theme" and "thought" are realized as
/tim/ and /tot/ respectively.
This research
work shall be looking at only the Yoruba people of the southern part, of the
country, especially, the Yoruba people within the terrain of Oyo State.
In this research
work, emphasis shall be laid on the wrong pronunciation of sounds, especially
those sounds that are as a result of
factors, that arc likely to be responsible for the wrong or right pronunciation
of the fricative sounds.
Chapter One of
this research work focused on the general introduction while Chapter Two is
based on the Literature Review which concentrates on works of other Linguists.
Chapter Three explains the methodology of the research work while Chapter Four
critically looked into the analysis of the data collection and presentations,
and also the major problems of the Nigerian Speakers of the English Language.
Chapter Five summarized the research work and recommendation was made in helping
to solve the problems associated with some lapses in the Received pronunciation
of English fricatives.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 Aim of the study 2
1.3 Scope of the
study 2
1.4 Significance of the study 3
1.5 Statement of problem 3
1.6 Theoretical Framework 4
1.7 Statement of Hypotheses 4
1.8 Conclusion 4
CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review
2.0 Introduction 6
2.1 Definition of
phonology 6
2.2 The English
Phonology 7
2.3 Phonetics 15
2.3.1 Differences between Phonetics and Phonology 18-19
2.4 Language 19-22
2.5 Language in Contact 22-23
2.6 Language
Interference 23-26
2.7 Phonological
Interference 26-30
2.8 Phonemic Level of Interference 30
2.8.1 Under Differentiation 30-31
2.8.2 Over Differentiation 31-32
2.8.3 Re-interpretation 32
2.8.4 Phoneme
Substitution 32-33
2.9 The
Phonological Problem of the Yoruba Learners of English 33-34
2.10 Description of the Yoruba Fricatives 34-35
2.11 Description of the English Fricatives 35-36
2.12 Analysis of the Fricatives 36-39
2.13 Conclusion 39
CHAPTER THREE
Research Methodology
3.0 Introduction 40-41
3.1 Methodology 41
3.2 Method of Data Collection 41-43
3.3 Method of Data
Presentation 44
3.4 Method of Data Analysis 44
3.5 Conclusion 45
CHAPTER FOUR
Data Presentation and Analysis .
4.0 Introduction 46
4.1 Data presentation 46-48
4.2 Data Analysis 48-55
4.3 Conclusion 55
CHAPTER FIVE Summary
and Recommendation
5.1 Summary 56-57
5.2 Recommendation 56-60
Bibliography 61-63
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Experts in all
fields hold on to one belief or the other. To sociolinguists, language can
never be divorced from the society. Therefore society is of more importance to
their study. To scientists, facts can never be ignored in the process of
observation; this of course forms the basis of their theorizing. To historians,
sourcing information by which ever means to establish historical facts must be strictly
adhered to. So also a phonetician believes in the proper study of the
properties of individual sounds that make up a language. An aspect of this
forms the basis of this research work.
This research
work aims at analyzing the English fricatives as used among the Yoruba speakers
of English language.
·
This research work is
limited to only the Yoruba people, who dwell in the southern part of the
country, Nigeria particularly within the terrain of Oyo state.
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The research work
is analytical in nature, and this is due to the fact that data shall be closely
examined, in order to arrive at the major determinants of the wrong or the
right realization of the fricative sounds as used among our respondents. That
is, each respondent data
shall fully be analyzed and if there is need for comparing of data, it shall be
exhaustively done.
1.2 AIM OF THE STUDY
The
aim of research work is to carry out a task in order to establish which of the
factor(s) is or are responsible for the wrong or right realization of the
English fricative sounds;
This
research work aims at enlightening the readers that some of the already
existing factors might be proved wrong based on the practical analysis that
will be carried out from the responses of the respondents.
For
the purpose of this research, the Received Pronunciation (R.P) will be used as
the standard pronunciation model for the explanation of the deviation noticed
in the variants of the sound segments under the study. This is chosen due to
its prestigious position as a dialect that is taught in the public schools and
its relevance to our field. Eventually, the study will serve as a check on the
performance of English sound segments.
Whatever
discovery is made in this connection will aid a further study on the teaching
of the phonological segments to students at all level of learning in Nigeria.
1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Every
academic research work is carried out within a specific scope to make
researchers have focus in their work. This research would look at English
fricative used among the Yoruba speaker of English language; thus, the research
would be focusing on the speaker who are literate and how the English fricative
are being used. Literacy is the ability to read and write, thus, this research
tends to look at that in secondary school and in the higher institution as the
literate Yoruba speakers of English.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The significance
of this research work is to appreciate the Yoruba speakers of English Language
bearing in mind the fact that some English fricative sounds are not present in
the Yoruba consonant chart.
Consequently, a
good understanding of this research work requires a mental dissociation from
the knowledge letters and a concentration on sounds as they are produced rather
than how they are spelt. It has been observed over time that second language
learners often allow their knowledge of letters to interfere with the learning
of English sounds/fricatives. Example, at the phonemic level of interference,
English Language for instance, has the voiceless fricatives /θ/ which is absent in the Yoruba language. For this sound
the Yoruba speakers of English substitute the voiceless alveolar fricative /t/.
Thus, the
English word think /θiηk/ is realized
as /tink/. At the end of this
research work, Yoruba learners should therefore concentrate on how sounds are
pronounced rather than how they are spelt.
1.5 STATEMENT OF
THE PROBLEM
Quite a number
of scholars had made contributions regarding the factor responsible for the
difficulties in the realization of some fricative sounds such as lv, z, θ, d, 3,/. This out rightly is the centre core of this research
work.
The difficult
sounds as listed above are sometime correctly articulated in words by some Yoruba
users of the English fricatives, while others or a few use them wrongly. These
therefore, form the tasks which this research work seeks to provide answer(s)
to. In lieu of this, the research work shall seek various and the possible
reason for these noticeable problems among second language speakers of English.
1.6 THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK
The theoretical
framework for this research is phonology. Phonology is said to be the study of
some sounds system of a particular language. It can equally be said to be the
study of human sounds with due regard to their patterning and function in a particular
language.
Phonology is a
level or pattern of linguistic arrangement of significant sounds into a
meaningful production of significant sound for their phonetics.
The basic unit of phonology is called phoneme
which is defined as the sound system of a language that can keep utterance
apart. There are some principal rules used to establish the phonemes of any
Yoruba language.
They are:
·
Contrast through
minimal pairs
·
Complementary
Distribution
·
Phonetic similarity.
Finally,
phonemes are realized and achieved differently. As a phonetician there is an
account for different realizations.
1.7 STATEMENT OF
HYPOTHESIS
The following
hypothetical statements shall be tested at the end of this research.
H1: Yoruba learners
of English pronounce some sounds according to their understanding.
H2: Some Yoruba
users of the English fricative do not recognize minimal pair
/f, v/.
H3: Most voiced
fricative sounds are usually difficult to articulate by Yoruba speakers of
English.
H4: Voiceless fricatives are easily articulated by the Yoruba
speaker of the English Language.
H5: Consonant cluster usually serves as barriers to most
Yoruba speakers of the Fricatives.
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