Une Etude de L'interference Linguistique en Frances des Locuteurs Natifs du Haoussa Dans des Ecoles Federales Selectionnees au Nord du Nigeria
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Date
2010-12
Authors
Gandu, R.C
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Abstract
This study seeks to examine language contact in a plurilingual context and the implication on the oral and written French of native Hausa learners in senior classes of selected federal schools in northern Nigeria. The need to undertake a study in this area was borne out of the various opinions expressed on the sources of language interference. From the various opinions expressed, the question that becomes apparent is: How can one determine the source of language interference in the oral and written performance of a particular group such as the Native Hausa Learners of French (hence forth NHLF) in a plurilingual context? The desire for an answer to this question motivated us to embark on a search in several learned journals across the different regions of the country which yielded very little result. The study was therefore motivated by the perceived lack of sufficient data on interference issues noticed among native Hausa speakers learning French, the group in which we are interested. The study is therefore intended to bridge that perceived gap. In order to give the study a focus, 8 research objectives, 8 research questions and 8 research assumptions were proposed. For a theoretical frame work, the study adopted Chomsky’s 1995 Minimalist Programme. The research instruments used include questionnaires and tape recorded speeches of respondents. At the end of the study, results show that the majority of respondents attended private primary schools. For example, 83.3 % of respondents in SSS3, 75.0 % in SSS2 and 80 % in SSS1 in 2007 attended private primary schools. Concerning the language used for instruction, 96.7 % and 97.6 % of the respondents in 2007 and 2008 respectively stated that instruction was conducted both in English and in French. The study also sought to know the language respondents resort to when confronted with difficulty of expression. The results revealed that 83.3 % of respondents in 2007 and 92.7 % in 2008 indicated that they resorted to English rather than to Hausa the mother tongue. Furthermore, an examination of 15 vowels sounds such as :[ø, œ, ә, ε, כ, y, {, u, e, ε̃ ā, כֿ, o, i, & a],17 consonants sounds such as :[ ɲ, z, ∫, ʒ, g, v, f, k, R, s, t, m, n, b, d, l, & p] and 3 semi consonants [j, ɥ & w] indicated that consonants as isolated units did not cause major pronunciation difficulty to respondents. On the other hand, consonants and semi consonants articulated in word or syllabic form caused major difficulty to NHLF. In the same vein, vowels articulation as isolated units and in word form or in syllabic groups caused considerable difficulty to respondents. The result of the written composition indicated that Hausa the mother tongue of respondents did not interfere in the written composition of respondents as did English. On the degree of difficulty encountered by respondents in the use of grammatical categories, the results show that the areas that had the highest number of incorrect usages include resorting to anglicisms, followed by difficulty in forming compatible syntagmatic structures, the incorrect use of pronouns ranked 3rd in order of difficulty followed by incorrect selection and use of adjectives while incorrect use of accents ranked 5th. The results of the correctional oral and written classroom tests show a considerable increase in the correct scores of respondents in oral production as well as in the selection and use of grammatical categories while also showing a considerable decrease in incorrect scores in the same areas tested. This reveals the need for additional hours for French lessons in most of the schools visited where French is allocated less than six periods a week. Mixing French and English in the course of instruction is strongly discouraged as it impedes the development of fluency in French.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Lagos
Keywords
French Language , Hausa Language , Northern Nigeria , Students , Research Subject Categories::HUMANITIES and RELIGION::Languages and linguistics::Other languages
Citation
Gandu, R.C (2010). Une Etude de L'interference Linguistique en Frances des Locuteurs Natifs du Haoussa Dans des Ecoles Federales Selectionnees au Nord du Nigeria. A Thesis Submitted to University of Lagos School of Postgraduate Studies Phd Thesis and Dissertation, 268pp.