Production and Perception Problems of English Dental Fricatives by Yoruba Speakers of English as a Second Language (original) (raw)

2012, Theory and Practice in Language Studies

Pronunciation is one aspect of language that cannot be easily mastered by a second language user, especially after the age of puberty. This paper discusses the difficulties involved in adult learners of a second language. The emphasis is on Yoruba learners of English as second language, with particular reference to the production of the dental fricatives /ѳ / and /δ/, which are non-existent in Yoruba language phonology. It is opined that only young children who are ten years or under can truly master the intricacies of a second language, including its phonology. This study, used an unobtrusive observation method as a classroom teacher, complemented by an empirical study. The researcher watched and listened several times to adult studentteachers in their speech behavior. This led to the design of a special passage given to the teacher-trainees by the researcher and was analyzed through frequency counts, to confirm the unobtrusive observations. It was discovered that although there may be production problem on the part of Yoruba speakers of English as a second language, there seems to be no perception problem as mutual intelligibility is still attained, notwithstanding the mispronunciation of these sounds. The study's conclusion is that with the widespread of English globally, variations, especially in pronunciation, are bound to occur, and as long as such variations do not border on unintelligibility, either locally or internationally, they remain part of world's Englishes. Index Terms-production problem, perception problem, English dental fricatives, Yoruba speakers of English, second language I. INTRODUCTION/RESEARCH ISSUE The place of English as a global language is not in dispute. The number of people, spread across the different continents, that uses the language for one purpose or the other, attests to the fact that English is, indeed, a global language. Chinese is said to have a higher number of speakers. The staggering number of Chinese speakers is as a result of China"s population, and not necessarily a consequence of the spread of the language across the globe. English, on its part, has been successfully exported round the world to the extent that, through language contact, according to Sinclair (1988), the native speakers no longer have control over it. In Nigeria, English came in the 18 th century with the slave trade. It came then as a foreign language (EFL) as it was and still not indigenous to the Nigerian linguistic environment. Folorunso (2004) conceives a foreign language in relative terms, as a means of communication which is external to the cultural and political homogeneity of the language community. With the colonization of Nigeria by British imperialists, English, being the official language, as well as the language of instruction in western education, grew in leaps and bounds in the country. Today, the language has since changed status from a foreign language that it was at its advent, to a second language that it is now. A useful distinction is made between English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL), and this is useful for our present purpose. Okedara, (1983) posits that a language is foreign when it is restricted to the classroom as a mere school subject to be taught just as any other school subject. Ogunsiji, (2004) argues that when, however, a language is not only taught in the classroom as a school subject, but has its use extended to other domains and used extensively, in addition to the mother tongues, it has attained the status of a second language. In addition to the above, Ayodele, (2004) says a foreign language is distinguished from a second language by the higher priority of use which the latter enjoys and that it is acquired, almost as a matter of course as development is being experienced in the mother tongue. This has been the situation of the English language in Nigeria. With the colonization of Nigeria by British imperialists, English became the official language. Today, the language has also become a second language because its use extends to other domains and it is used extensively in addition to the various mother tongues. In Nigeria today, English is not just a subject taught in Nigerian schools, right from the kindergarten: it has also found usage in other areas outside the classroom, where it is used as a medium of instruction. It is also the language of government, commerce, judiciary and bilateral relations. Besides, Fakuade (2004) describes English as the language of social integration among the over two hundred and fifty ethnic nationalities that make up the country and that it is acquired by its users almost as matter of course as they are developing with the mother tongue.