CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Simply put, bilingualism is a sociolinguistic phenomenon that has received much scholarly attention, not only because of its significance in communications but also because of political, social and demographic factors that have led many sociologists to classify some languages as major and others as minor in multi-linguistic settings. There are so many definitions of bilingualism, however, the ones that favor the subject matter of this study are those provided by Hudson,(2019), Fromkin, (2013) and Afolayan, (2016).
They all agree that bilingualism is the ability to master the use of two languages. Nigeria is a multilingual country with the English language as the key medium of communication. The language is used in politics, government administration, law, mass media, commerce and education. Consequently, every facet of the country’s life depends largely on the English language. To the majority of Nigerians, the yardstick for measuring the degree of one’s level of educational attainment is one’s performance in the English language. The first education ordinance of 1882 recognized only the English language as language of instruction. Since then, the language has been the barometer with which the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of our school curricular are measured. Poor performance in the language leads to poor performance in other subjects.
The new National Policy on Education, sections four and five, does not only recommend the English language as the language of instruction from the fourth year of primary education, it is also a compulsory subject in secondary and tertiary levels of education in Nigeria. Hence, a credit pass in English at senior secondary school certificate or general certificate O’ level examination is a prerequisite for admission into various tertiary institutions in the country. Regrettably, the mastery of this very important language is confronted with a lot of challenges, such as dearth of sufficiently qualified teachers of English, lack of role models, negative attitude to the learning of the language, poor reading culture and above all, inadequate exposure to the intricacy of the grammar of the language as well as faulty application of grammatical rules.
A communication skill is the ability to convey information to another effectively and efficiently. Business managers with good verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills help facilitate the sharing of information between people within a company for its commercial benefit. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are basic communication skills necessary for effective communication in any environment, particularly the workplace. Concord is a concept that is used in grammatical theory and description to refer to formal relationships that exist between elements of grammar. In simple terms concord otherwise known as agreement simply means that a form of one word requires a corresponding form of another.
There are various kinds of concord in the English language because the principle of agreement between forms is very central to syntax as the whole point about syntax is the interrelationships among linguistic structures. Tense and concord are two concepts that are central to English grammar and to our understanding of how English sentences can be effectively used to convey our thoughts. In second language situation such as Namibia and other parts of Africa, the English language is superimposed on our indigenous languages. In addition, English is only formally acquired in schools. Before an average Namibiancome into contact with the English language he /she would have had a reasonable mastery of his or her mother tongue.
This situation gives rise to what is known as ‘linguistic interference’. It is linguistic interference that accounts in most cases for the difficulty we have in expressing ourselves in English proficiently. Errors in the use of concord and tense are also caused mainly by the complexity of the English language itself as s well as the inadequate mastery of the English language and some sociological and psychological factors. Errors of concord and tense constitute one of the major problems that second English learners have to overcome. This can be achieved by a better understanding of the concepts involve and an analytical awareness of how the structure of the English language is different from the structures of our indigenous languages. A good knowledge of the differences between the structure of the English language and the structure of one’s mother tongue can go a long way to eliminate the problems that learners encounter in their English usage.
Most Nigerians speak more than one language. Up till now, the actual number of languages spoken in Nigeria has not been accurately predicted. Various authors have recorded conflicting figures. For instance, Olagoke (2019) quoting Greenberg, records the number of the indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria as 248, Tiffen, (2014) puts it as over 150, and for Bamigbose, (2012), claims, over 400.
However, out of these numerous native languages, the most recognized and widely spoken among them are from the three largest and most influential ethnic groups of Hausa in the north, Igbo in the east and Yoruba in the south. These three are regarded as languages of the majority. There are other languages such as Ibiobio, Efik, Edo, Tiv, kanuri, Nupe and Ijaw which are regarded as minority languages. In addition, these languages have numerous regional dialects.
However, one language that has not received adequate attention is the “pidgin” language. It is popularly referred to as “broken” because it is the combination of English language with the native languages. Pidgin is a language that transcends regional, ethnic and social boundaries. The concentration is largely in the Niger Delta area of the country. One major problem emanating from this collection of indigenous languages is that the nation has found it difficult to come up with any of them as a national language.
This is because none of them is considered suitable enough to be adopted for that purpose. With this linguistic situation, the country requires a language that will serve the common purpose of national interest. This is why English language, because of its wide geographical spread and acceptance, which none of the indigenous languages enjoys, has gained recognition as the language that is widely used in education, business transactions and official purposes and has served as the instrument of cultural and linguistic unity of the country.
This gave birth to bilingualism among Nigerians. Nigerians are forced to be speaking two languages native (Yoruba, Hausa or Ibo) and official language (English language). Bilingualism as used in this study refers to the learners who are already proficient in Yoruba language before proceeding to learn English formally in the school. Because Yoruba and English are two completely different languages, their forms and patterns are mutually exclusive. For this reason, learners often encounter problems in the area of differences. One common error arising from the differences in the two languages is referred to as interference. This is as a result of the transfer of the features from one language to another. Some notable areas of differences between Yoruba and English languages are sounds, words, and grammar.
For instance, apart from the differences in the mode of inflections between the two languages, most Nigerian languages do not have an equivalent of the English system of the articles a, an, and the, hence, we hear sentences such as he ‘drove car’; ‘do you want pencil’ ‘ I went to school’, etc. The differences also account for the wrong inflection of words resulting in such errors as ‘more better’, ‘quitted’, ‘furnitures’, etc. This is due to the fact that the grammatical system of the two languages in contact is widely divergent.
The fact that series of work have been conducted on the subject matter of this research notwithstanding, (Goke, 2013; Babatunde, 2011; Ogunsiji, 2014,) this present work is not contending the facts stated in these studies, rather, bilingualism of Yoruba/English learners is approached from a slightly different perspective, focusing mainly on the use of concord. Hence, this study intends to investigate the analysis of concord errors and the effects on communication skills of selected bilingual students of College of Education, Lagos.
Statement of the problem
Various writers, teachers and examiners have pondered over the poor grammatical expressions of students in Nigeria Higher institutions. Adeyanju (2014) states ‘however, many students at secondary and tertiary levels, as well as others in various professions have not mastered the English language structure usage, mechanics, and therefore communicate ineffectively.’ The wrong application of concord in student essays is a common feature in the spoken and written English of many universities, polytechnics and colleges.
Concord errors affect the students’ overall ability to communicate and thereby, militate on their performance in various examinations. There is this general contention that the students’ failure to correctly use concord is due to insufficient knowledge of its functions and interference of their native languages mainly like Yoruba, Hausa and Ibo. This implies that the students’ knowledge of this grammatical category is limited or it is not properly handled at this level.
It might be based on the forms of their indigenous language and the Nigerian English. This affects the production of correct sentences as those produced in their local languages are not applicable to English. Therefore, the wrong use of concord leads to lack of fluency in their expressions in essays and causes distortion and wrong interpretation of messages in any written and spoken discourse. This study will dwell on the analysis of concord errors and its effects on communication skills of selected bilingual students of College of Education, Lagos.
Purpose of the study
The general objective of this study is to investigate the analysis of concord errors and the effects on communication skills of selected bilingual students of College of Education, Lagos State. Its specific objectives are:
1. to find out the concord errors in communicative skills of College of Education students Lagos.
2. to understand why students have concord errors in their communicative skills.
3. to ascertain the areas where are concord errors prevalent among College of Education students Lagos?
Significance of the study
Research on analysis of concord is important for the enhancement of language usage. Students of English as a second language (ESL) face challenges in the mastery of English language. This study is significant in a number of ways. Thus, the research will help students by providing appropriate ways of using concord and correct any wrong use. The students would find it as an aid to efficient communication within and outside the classroom situation. It would be useful to teachers and lecturers of the English language as a material for teaching students how to use concord correctly.
Authors of English language textbooks and those with grammar bias would find this study a useful guide in projecting the areas students need exposure and more detailed treatment. This would promote easier understanding of concord by students.
Scope of the study
This study is limited to students in College of Education Lagos State. The study will cover the analysis of concord usage among the Bilingual students of College of Education. In consonance with research topic the study will make use of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) part 2 of English Combinations
Research questions
The following research questions were raised to guide the study:
1. What are the concord errors in communicative skills of College of Education students Lagos?
2. Why do students have concord errors in their communicative skills?
3. In what areas are concord errors in terms of prevalent among College of Education students Lagos?
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