-
Influence Of Teaching Phonology On Spoken English Of Secondary School Students
[A CASE STUDY OF ILORIN EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE]
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
-
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
English language has no doubt come to stay as Nigeria’s Lingua Franca (Jolayemi, 2007). As a Lingua Franca, English obviously is the formal or official language of the country. This status accounts for the high premium Nigeria places on it. Being a foreign language, the skills in it have to be learnt rather than acquired. Since the language is needed for the proper functioning of the country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria has severally demonstrated its commitment towards the promotion and development of the language in the country. Hence, the government adopts a multi-dimensional approaches or strategies.
An integral part of these strategies aimed at ensuring the growth of English language in Nigeria is its inclusion in the schools’ curriculum, as a subject of study. Of particular interest to a curriculum planner is the speaking skill; a knowledge which enables the learners to speak the language in the same way the native speakers do. The aspect of English which caters for this interest is referred to as Phonetics and Phonology.
According to Akande (2002), Phonetics is defined as the study and description of the physical properties of human speech sounds. It is sub-divided into Articulatory Phonetics, Auditory Phonetics and Acoustic Phonetics.
On the other hand, phonology is the manner by which speech sounds are patterned into a system of a specific language (Akande, 2002). Phonology of English language is studied at segmental and supra-segmental levels
Segmental phonology deals with the consonant and vowel phonemes of English language while supra-segmental level deals with the analysis of stress, rhythm, intonation and tone. A learner’s competence in the speaking skill of the English is usually determined by how much he or she has internalized those properties of the English language sounds system.
It is a pity nowadays that most of the students at all levels of education cannot identify the English phonemes due to the over or under differentiation and reinterpretation of the English phonemes for their mother tongue(s) (Alabi, 2002). Also, students are confronted with a lot of problems whenever they come across the English consonant clusters which are non-existent in their native language. The level of mastery of stress and intonation patterns of the English language of the students is considerably low because it is quite different from their indigenous languages which are basically tonal oriented. The students normally pronounce the English words as they appear to them orthographically in their local languages or dialects which, of course, make their communication rather unintelligible to the outside world.
The concern of this study, therefore, is to find out whether or not the students in senior secondary schools in Ilorin East Local Government Area, Kwara State are making progress in internalizing these properties. In other words, this exercise is aimed at ascertaining the influence of teaching phonology on the spoken English of senior secondary school students in Ilorin East Local Government Area, Kwara State.
Statement of the Problem
Since 1989 or there about when Oral English or English Paper 3 (Test of Orals) became a compulsory paper to be written in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WAEC and NECO), Nigeria has made concerted efforts to ensure that candidates for these examinations perform optimally. It is in pursuance of this objective that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education invests a substantial percentage of her resources annually in recruiting, training and retraining of English language teachers in order to realize these objectives of proficiency in the spoken English of the citizenry and reap the many benefits accruing from it.
Consequently, there are divergent views on the effects of teaching phonology in Nigerian secondary schools. While some opine that the subject has had a positive effect on the students’ spoken English. The pessimist argues that in spite of the teaching of Oral English, there is still noticeable speech difference among the students in our secondary schools. It is their opinion that some students have in fact resorted to their Mother Tongue (MT) in order to relief themselves of the nervousness in speaking English. It is believed by this school of thought that only a negligible number of these students speak good English probably because of their background.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]ABSTRACTThis project explores the influence of teaching phonology on spoken English of secondary school students in Ilorin East Local Government Area, Kwara State. To ascertain this, the project takes a look at the concept of language, functions of language as well as language skills. English phonemes; vowel and consonant sounds are also examined. Based on the foregoing, thus, efforts are directed at analysing the data collected with the research methodology used in obtaining the data. Therefore ... Continue reading---
APPENDIX A - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]APPENDIX UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN ILORIN, NIGERIA. RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE ON INFLUENCE OF TEACHING PHONOLOGY ON SPOKEN ENGLISH OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS Dear Respondent, This questionnaire is designed to assist in measuring the influence of teaching phonology on spoke English of secondary school students. Your response will be highly appreciated. Thanks for your anticipated co-operation.Yours faithfully, SECTION A (PERSONAL DATA)Instruction: fill in the blanks. Sex: ------------------------------ ... Continue reading---
LIST OF TABLES - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]LIST OF TABLESTable 1: Percentage distribution of the respondents’ view on the significant relationship between teaching of phonology and the academic performance of the senior secondary school students. Table 2: Percentage distribution of the respondents’ view on the significant relationship between teachers’ qualifications and effective teaching of phonology in the senior secondary schools. Table 3: Percentage distribution of the respondents†... Continue reading---
TABLE OF CONTENTS - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]TABLE OF CONTENTSTitle page Certification Dedication Acknowledgments Table of contents List of Tables Abstract CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTIONBackground to the Study Statement of the Problems Purpose of the Study Research Questions Scope of the Study Operational Definitions of Terms Significance of the Study CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATUREThe Concept of Language, Functions of Language and Language Skills English Vowel Phonemes English Consonant Phoneme ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER TWO - [ Total Page(s): 8 ]CHAPTER TWOREVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In this chapter, some learned authorities; especially those centering on language and the related field were appraised. The related literature reviewed included:i. The concept of language, functions of language and language skills.ii. English Vowel Phonemes.iii. English Consonant phonemes.iv. Stress in English language. v. Intonation of English language.vi. Language Competence and Performance.vii. Appraisal of lit ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER THREE - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGYResearch Type This research is aimed at correlating two variables viz: the teaching of phonology and the spoken English of senior secondary school students. The two variables are intended to extract the relationship between teaching phonology and the spoken English of senior secondary school students. It is also designed to highlight the problems associated with the teaching of phonology in senior secondary schools. Population, Sample and Sampling Techniqu ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER FOUR - [ Total Page(s): 3 ]Research Question 3: Is there any significant relationship between the teaching of phonology and the spoken English of the senior secondary school students?Table 3 above shows at a glance, the significant relationship between the teaching of phonology and the spoken English of students in the senior secondary schools in Ilorin East L.G.A, Kwara State. 58.3% of the respondents agreed that knowledge of phonology was capable of facilitating the use of English among the senior secondary schoo ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER FIVE - [ Total Page(s): 2 ]d. Again, adequate measures should be taken to ensure regular inspection of schools and by extension English language teaching. This will go long way to facilitate teaching of phonology at schools. e. Government at all levels should make adequate provision of language teaching facilities to schools while language teachers should be made to utilize them effectively in the teaching of phonology.f. Bodies with a stake in teaching English should as a matter of professionalism spons ... Continue reading---
REFRENCES - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]REFERENCES Akande, G.B. (2002). Studies in Speech Work/Oral English. Osogbo: Prominent Prints.Alabi, T.A. (2009). “Developing Effective Speaking Skill in Englishâ€. In Alabi, V.A. and Babatunde,S.T. (Eds) (2009). The Use of English in Higher Education. (pp. 25-42). Ilorin: University Press.Alabi, T.A. (2012). Phonology of English. An Unpublished Lecture note, Department of English, University of Ilorin.Animasaun, K. and Ibileye, G. (2000). Distinction in English Language and Communica ... Continue reading---
