CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

        English language is not an indigenous language to Nigeria, due to the fact, that Nigerians already have their own spoken language (mother tongue). Every Nigeria learning English language is usually faced with a complex language situation in his process language development.

        Besides having to master his own language and other indigenous language, he needs to have a good command of English as indispensable tool in his daily life in a changing world. Language is our greatest invention, without it, trade, government, family life. Regions and the art would be either impossible or very different.

        The human being is characterized by the ability to communicate with his fellow human being, this chief characteristics is what distinguished the human from animals. The process of learning indigenous language begin very early in life, right from time early, an adult attempt to communicate with a child by using all kinds of sound to him and the child in turn begin to respond to the communication through imitation.

        The child proficiency in use of his mother tongue is accelerated by his constant exposure to language. This communication is made possible in human being by the use of two types of sensory stimulation, such as auditory and visual.

        Any normal human being with the normal human facilities possesses this type of sensory stimulation is being used.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

        This research is designed to find and analyze the influence of mother tongue on the learning of English Language as a foreign language it is therefore an attempt to bring together in an accessible from where the mother tongue can give the needed wrap to English used by Nigerian’s, particularly those students in Ozolua Model Secondary School, Iguobazuwa. No praise can be too high for the devoted inspectorates who wrestle continuously with this problem, which is made almost impossibly difficult by the vast distance involved.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY     

        Our main concern here is to show how English Language is affected either positively or negatively by the learner mother tongue.

        Secondly to acquire sufficient diversified register of English vocabulary in various field of human endeavour which will enhance the overall quality of communicative competence of the learning second language.

        Thirdly to see of the conditions which language acquisition can take place. Finally to bring the conditions of language learning closer to the condition of language acquisition and to male language learning a far rewarding experience than is commonly the case.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

        The importance of the mother tongue in the education of a child cannot be overemphasized. Psychologically; the proper development of the child is closely boring with the continued use of the language he has spoken from birth, the language of his parents, brothers and sisters, friends and people he is use to. It is the language in which he has acquired in his first experience in life, dreams and think, and in his feeling and emotions.

        It is a paramount fact that a child education should begin with his mother tongue since it is the language of his culture, of all the elements that characterize a linguistic group and distinguishes them from other group’s  whether in art, music, dance, attitude and beliefs, customs, festivals, behaviour etc.

        This does not create a barrier between him and his less educated parents but, what is worse, it may cause him to despise the language of his people in favour of a foreign one.

        It is not agreed on, however that the factors are essentially the same.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY  

        The research on this work has a limited scope it will be to some villages in Ovia South West Local Government Area. It is solely based on the influence of mother tongue on the learning of English as a foreign language and its impact on the rural people, possible

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

          The research questions would focus on the following;

1. Does the environment of the child affect the performance of pupils in English language?
2. Does the economic status of the parents of the child affect the performance of pupils in English language?
3. Does mother tongue affect the performance of a child in English language?
4. Is there any relationship between the occupation of parents and the performance of their children in English language?
5. Does the health of the child affect the performance of pupils in English language?

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Mother tongue: Native, language, the first which is normally acquired by human being in early childhood through interaction with other member of his own native speakers. This can also be called primary language, its one’s first language of interaction.

Second language: Foreign language, any language other than the native language or mother tongue. A second language usually learnt and not acquired through interaction with other.

Interference: The errors native made by carrying over the speech habit of the native language or dialect into a second language or dialect. The interference can be noticed in features of pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary when a person is learning to master the pattern of second language.

Transfer: The process or result of carrying over speech habit from one language to another e.g. language teaching, the patterns of the mother tongue or when translating lexical items may be borrowed from the native language. Negative features that are not available in the mother tongue are to features that are present in the second language. This means that there are some distinctive features inherent in the mother tongues that are transferred to the second language.

Positive common features: Are those features that are present both in first language and the second language.            

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