A Contrastive Analysis Of Conjugation Of English And Igbo Verbs

Errors, according to Dulay; Burt and Krashen in Obi-Okoye (2008), are, “the flawed side of  learners.  They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from the acceptable norm of mature language competence”. The adverse effect of errors to the performance of learners of target languages is what teachers and parents of learners tend to guard against.
Anaydiegwu and Obi-Okoye the view that the Igbo language and the English  language  as  different  in  areas like phonology, the vowel harmony system, the syllable structure stress, intonation and Syntax: numerals and in wh-question. Anyadiegwu further buttresses that many linguists are anti-contrastive. They do not believe in the notion of transfer and interference in language learning. These linguists are of the view that the errors learners make lie in the language system  of the target language and not as a result of the influence of the native language. These intralingual errors imply general characteristics of rules or condition.
In conclusion, both contrastive analysis and error analysis are all method of learning a language. When  we contrast two languages, the result is always, to find out differences    as    well    as    similarities.    The    aim    of    such discovery is to help teachers and learners of  languages. This    effort        is        geared    towards    finding    out    the intralingual        problem        which    teachers        and    learners    of English and Igbo languages encounter.
3.2    Analyses of English and Igbo Verbs
The most familiar use of the word “analysis” is for taking things apart. The process of separating, or taking apart is sometimes known as linguistic analysis. According to the New international Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of the English language (encyclopedic edition) (2004), analysis means to examine minutely or critically, as a process of resolving a problem. A method of determining or describing the nature of a thing by resolving it into its parts.
Here in this study, the researcher analyses in order to highlight the possible problems which may lead into a systematic deviation from what is acceptable in a language by a non native speaker. A non-native speaker may commit an error as a result of ignorance  of rules or as a result of socio-cultural factors like cultural differences between the learner’s L1 and the target language (L2).
The analysis of English verb formation process includes affixation process e.g. suffixing nouns with-ize to form verbs of the English language.
Noun    Verb
Nation    Nationalize
Pressure    Pressurize
Economy    Economize
Natural    Naturalize
The suffixing of “fy” to noun to form verbs e.g.
Noun    Verb
Terror    Terrify
Electric    Electrify
Person    Personify
Prefixing an adjective with “en”- form verb of the English language e.g.
Adjective    Verb
Rich    Enrich
Large    Enlarge
Verbs can be derived by adding “-ize” to the adjective base in English language e.g.
Adjective    Verb
Institutional    Institutionalize National    Nationalize
Verbs can be formed by internal change, as in changing consonant sounds.
Noun    Verb
Belief    Believe
Advice    Advise
Verbs of English can be derived through accentual cum vocalic change of a noun e.g.
Noun    Verb
Conflict    Con’flict
Transfer    Trans’fer
Verbs are formed through stress shift from one syllable to another e.g.
Noun    Verb
rewrite    rewrite
Transport    Transport
Verbs of English shows inflection by a process of suppletion or ablaut, that is a systematic vowel change in verb forms e.g.
Base    Ablauts
Ring    Rang    rung
Sing    Sang    Sung
Verbs can undergo some conjugation through inflectional paradigm e.g.