Chapter One

1.0 Introduction

1.1 An Overview

The present study is on the inconsistency of the English spelling and its implication to second language learning. In this chapter, the present researcher will discuss the following sub themes: the status and role of English language in Nigeria, pronunciation and spelling in English, background to the study, statement of problem, purpose of study, significance of the study, the scope of the study and definition of terms.

1.2 The Status and Roles of English Language in Nigeria

The English language is neither the mother-tongue nor the first language of any of the over four hundred ethnic groups in Nigeria. Like the name “Nigeria” English language according to Uzoezie, “is a borrowed gown and one of the inheritances of our colonial experience” (162). The language is indigenous to Britain, but it is today the language most spoken worldwide because of the wide distribution of the speakers and the users of the language worldwide. The implication of this fact is that English is used by native and non-native speakers. It is extensively used as a second

language and as an official language in many countries of the world.

The fact that Nigeria is multi-national and multi-lingual is a truism. Hansford et al cited in Obi-Okoye also give an approximate number of four hundred languages spoken in Nigeria. It is assumed that the existence of many languages means the existence of many basically antagonistic nationalities trying to form a nation. Thus, there is mutual antagonism amongst the ethno-linguistic regions of the country, thereby making the issue of national language question a difficult one. Recourse is then made to the use of the English language in order to meet our national communicative needs, more because of its neutrality in the country. This dates back to 1862 when Lagos was formerly established as a colony by the British invaders.
According to Anyadiegwu, English is the “barometer with which the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of our school curricular are measured” (84). It has become a language for intra and international trade, a means of diplomacy and the “language that has enabled the vastly heterogeneous people in Nigeria to
forge a means of interaction” (Eyisi, 355). It serves as the unifying factor for the multiplicity of local languages in Nigeria. It is the language of the mass

media and the language of the law court. It is used for all official transactions. Every official correspondence is written in the English language.
In fact, English has become in Nigeria the lingua franca for wider communication. It is also learnt in schools as a second language with the indigenous languages acting as the mother tongue or first language.

1.3 Nigerian Language Syllable Structure

As we have noted earlier, Nigeria is a multi-lingual and heterogeneous speech community with diverse linguistic differences. None of these languages is genetically related to nor has a syllable structure similar to that of the English language. Most Nigerian languages belong to the KWA stock. The English language has a very complex syllable structure which makes it difficult to learn especially in pronunciation unlike the Nigerian indigenous language that have a simple syllable structure for example,

 

TABLE I.I The Syllable Structure of Five Nigerian Languages

Igbo Hausa Yoruba Fulfude Itsekiri
N CV N CV V
V CVC V CVC CV
CV CN CV

In the above table, the symbol “N” represents a syllabic nasal and therefore, shows that a nasal sound can form a syllable of its own in some of the languages, especially Igbo and Yoruba.
The Igbo syllable structure is a very simple one. As a result, there is no consonant clustering of Igbo words either at the initial position or at the final position while clusters are permissible in English. Every syllable in most of the Nigerian languages especially Igbo usually incorporates one consonant (C) and one vowel (V) (CV). Unlike the English language syllable structure which has a very complex cluster of consonant sounds, at the initial and the final positions. For example, table 1.2, the complex structure of the English syllable.
Word Syllable Structure Transcription Rule
Cat CVC C1 v C1

Alm VC C0 v C1
Star CCV C2 v C0
Spree CCCV C3 v C0
Spend CCVCC C2 v C2
Scream CCCVC C3 v C2
Plunged CCVCC C2 v C3
Strength CCCVCCC C3 v C3
Strands CCCVCCC C3 v C3
Strengths CCCVCCCC C3 v C4

The above illustration shows the complex nature of the English syllable structure vis-à-vis an extrapolation of the possible spelling and pronunciation problems which the Nigeria ESL learners possibly encounter as a result of their mother tongue interference.

1.4 Pronunciation and Spelling

The English language has some forty simple sounds with only about twenty-six letters to express them. It is therefore necessary for some letters to represent more than one sound. The English spelling system is etymological rather than phonetic. Thus, the word “rough” is spelt as it is because in old English, it was pronounced with a guttural sound represented by “gh” though today it is pronounced as if it were spelt “ruff”.
Accordingly, writers like Ridout, adds that in earlier times, “spelling was much more phonetic than it is today” (2). He further explains that the change was caused by the pedants who came and fixed the spelling according to what they considered to be sound etymology during the eighteenth century (of which mistakes have been perpetuated). For instance, in the Dictionary of Dr. Johnson, the old English verb “ake” was spelt with a “ch” (ache), as if it came from Greek. This has given us an odd spelling that is not etymologically justified.
The new International Websters Complementary Dictionary of the English language states that certain changes in the spellings of symbols took place in the middle English period. The symbols “p” and “ ” came to be spelt “th” and the digraph “ ” became “a”. Again, old English “u” reflecting the French orthographical conventions came to be spelt “ou” or “ow”. As a result, old English “pu” became middle English “thou”, and old English “fed” became middle English “fade”.
With the introduction of printing, many English spelling became well established as visual representations of words. There gradually emerge a generally accepted system of spelling which has continued to the present with a few slight modifications. Since the revolution in English pronunciation was
taking place at the time the spelling was being standardized, the present orthography does not indicate the phonology very well. Today, the principal forms of modern English are practically the same on the printed page, thereby providing a cultural unity despite the almost endless variations in spoken English. Nevertheless, the present spelling often indicates the etymology of the word.
Thus, the quandary of English spelling remains unsolved. There seems to be a tendency towards greater tolerance of misspelling than formerly, but the standardizing effect of the printed page seems certain to prevent absolute individuality in orthographs.

1.5 Background to the Study

It has been earlier pointed out that English language enjoys a big status in Nigeria by being both her national language and lingua franca. But most Nigerians already have a first language which is their native language before learning the English language. One then ask the question, does the knowledge of the first language (L1) in any way affect the learning of the

second language (L2)? Does the second language learner encounter any problem in the course of learning the second language?