Noun Class in Anang and English a Contrastive Study
CHAPTER ONE
Objectivesย ofย theย Study
Theย objectiveย ofย theย presentย studyisย toย describeย nounsย andย verbsย inflectionalย processesย in
Englishย andย C`Lelaย languagesย withย implicationsย forย teaching.ย Thisย studyย exhibitsย theย extentย to
whichย theย twoย languagesย areย similarย orย differentย fromย eachย otherย inย theirย inflectionalย productionย and
haveย providedย theย pedagogicalย benefitsย ofย theย study.ย Theย specificย objectivesย are:
- To describe the types of nouns and verbs inflectional processes of English and CโLela languages using a descriptive model from (Whitman 1970).
- To conduct the contrastive analysis using Banathyโs (1969) taxonomic contrastive models and in the process bring out areas of similarities and differences between English and Cโlela inflectional process.
- To predict areas of difficulties for the learners of both English and Clela.
- To outline the pedagogical implications for the teaching and learning inflections in the two languages.
CHAPTERย TWO
Literatureย Review
Introduction
In the history of foreign language teaching and learning, applied linguists have made several attempts to ease the difficulties of the learners. Several methods of teaching based on different psychological theories of language learning have been proposed and tried out. Such innovations have been more rigorous since the 1950โs. The emergence of contrastive analysis (CA) in the 1950โs and the error analysis (EA) in the 1960โs laid a theoretical foundation for the major research works carried out in the second and foreign language teaching from the 1970โs till date. This chapter asserts the place of (Contrastive Analysis henceforth) CA in applied linguistics.
It explores the theories of CA, controversies surrounding it, its emergence and its strength and weaknesses. The chapter also reviews some previous studies in CA, its relevance today and the suitability for conducting linguistic studies within well established conceptual frame work.It also discussed morphological and inflection concepts; their variations, processes and types. At the end of the chapter, the study discusses both contrastive and analytical models that were used and why they wereย selectedย forย theย studyย inย preferenceย toย others.
Contrastiveย Analysis, Theoriesย andย Practice
Contrastive Analysis is always concerned with a pair of languages and founded on the belief that it is possible to compare two languages. According to James(1980:3), CA belongs to Applied Linguistics and it is defined as, โThe comparison and or contrast of selected linguistic structure across two or more languages, dialects styles or idiolects, regardless of the original purpose of the studyโ (Selinker and Selinker 1972:2). CA could simply be defined as,โa process by which two languages are compared in order to identify similarities and differences between their linguistic systemsโ (Banathy, 1969, SIL, 2013, Volker,2013).CA aids us infinding linguistic universals (Greenberg, 1960 and James 1972). The present study is a CA because the inflectional processes ofย English and CโLela languages would be contrasted to bring out the similarities and differences that exist in the two languages. According to Fisiak, (1978:10) and James, (1980:8), there are two types of CA: the theoretical and the applied. While the former looks for realization of a universal category in both languages A and B, the latter addresses itself to the problem of how a universal categoryX realized in language A as Y is rendered in language B. However, as James (1980: 142-3) cautioned that the two should not to be treated as independent of each other because applied CAsare interpretations of theoretical CAs rather than independent executions. CA is a tool for assessing linguistic relationships existing between two or more languages.Its concern is basically between the cross linguistic influence existing between the source and the target languages. Many contrastive studies on learners from different L1 backgrounds have indicated learning differences to be due to cross linguistic influence (Ardand Homburg, 1983;Andrews, 1984;White 1985;Schumann, 1986; Apple andย Muyaken,ย 1987ย andย Singler,ย 1988).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCHย METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter outlined the procedures followed in the study. It also stateshow the data for the study was collected and what instruments were used for collecting the data as well as format for the analysisย ofย theย dataย collected.
Researchย Design
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Research design adopted for this study is descriptive design. In descriptive design the researcher observes the behavior of one or more variables at once that is/are independent and non-manipulated variables. They will be observed at one time (Nnamdi, 2010:30). It is considered appropriate because the study involves two sets of data, the noun and verb inflectional processes of English and CโLela was studied and described at the same time.The noun and verb inflectional processes of the two languages were matched and similarities and differences were identified Belowis diagrammaticย representationย ofย descriptiveย designย thatย wasย usedย inย thisย study:
CHAPTERย FOUR
RESULTSย ANDย DISCUSSION
Introduction
This chapter intends to answer questions such as, what are the nouns and verbs inflectional processes of English and Cโlela languages, what are the similarities and differences in the nouns and verbs inflectional processes of English and Cโlela languages and what areas pose difficulties to CโLela students learning English as a second language? These questions would be answered in order as arranged. Inflection processes varies from language to language. The affixes position is determine by the way a language conventionally agrees to place the affix to mark tense and number. There are several processes involved in inflecting the nouns and verbs of languages, such as;ย suffixation,ย pre-fixation,ย in-fixation,ย circum-fixationย suppletionย andย soย on.
CHAPTERย FIVE
SUMMARY,ย RECOMMENDATIONย ANDย CONCLUSION
Introduction
This chapter presents the summary and the main findings of the current study and shall as well set out the direction for further studies. This study has been devoted to nouns and verbs inflectionalย processesย inย Englishย andย CโLelaย languages.
Summary
The CA of nouns and verbs inflectional processes of English and CโLela languages carried outย inย thisย studyย revealedย theย followingย facts.ย Bothย languagesย shareย someย commonย featuresย inย theirinflectionalย processesย asย wellย asย severalย differences.ย Englishย andย CโLelaย areย syntheticย languagesbecauseย inflectionย isย aย commonย attributeย ofย theย twoย languages.ย Inย theย lightย ofย suchย findings,ย thelinguisticsย problemย ofย theย CโLelaย speakersย learningย Englishย asย secondย languageย mayย beย minimized.
Inย otherย words,ย throughย thisย comparisonย andย contrast,ย theย teacherย willย beย awareย ofย theย structureย ofthe two languages and areas of difficulties of the learners in transforming the nouns and verbs of English and vice versa. It is also hoped that the analysis and result of this study would be useful bothย toย teachersย andย textbookย writersย ofย Englishย andย CโLelaย asย aย foreignย language.
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