MOTHER TONGUE INTERFERENCE IN THE ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Abstract

This study examines the effects of mother tongue on students in their efforts to acquire English as their second language. My scope of study was limited to Ado Ekiti in Ekiti state. For the purpose of the study, the following hypotheses were postulated; There will be no significant difference in the vocabulary and grammatical patterns of the L1 (Yoruba) and. L2 (English language) in the acquisition and subsequent performance of students in L2, English language, There will be no significant difference in the phonological and the orthographical patterns, of L1 and L2 and the way they affect student's mastery of L2. There will be no significant difference in the way home and linguistic background of students affect their translation of utterances and writing of sentences. From the findings of this study, all the null hypotheses were rejected. Relevant data were collected using questionnaires and test items. The research population includes one hundred and fifty students and twenty teachers randomly selected from two randomly selected secondary schools. The data collected were calculated and analyzed in percentages. The following findings and conclusions were arrived at: The difference in phonological and orthographical systems in English and Yoruba leads to linguistic interference in acquiring English. Students' mastery of English Language is affected by home and linguistic backgrounds. The differences in the grammatical and vocabulary patterns of Yoruba and English interfere with the students' mastery of English. On the basis of these findings, some recommendations were made to improve the standard of teaching and to limit the linguistic interference.