ERROR ANALYSIS OF THE SPOKEN ENGLISH OF STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the background to the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, scope of the study, delimitation, limitation and the definition of terms that concerns error analysis in spoken English.

1.1 Background to the Study

This study deals with Errors in spoken English committed by students at the university level. Language is considered to be the key that opens the door to all areas of collaboration. Despite The distinctiveness of languages and dialects, the common language for communicative use is English. The most often used language is English. it‟s taught in institutions and used as the governmental Language in most nations such as Nigeria. Making mistakes when producing the language is inevitable because it is the second language in Nigeria.

Error Analysis (EA), a not-new method, is one of the most significant areas in learning and speaking English. One of the main subjects in the study of spoken and written English is error analysis.According to research, students who speak English make lots of errors when production is made and based on this, the study will examine why it is so and also the way out.

Speaking is an essential aspect to human living because by Speaking people can convey their feelings, share their ideas and opinions. Speaking is occasionally underrated as a language skill or, in some settings, taken for granted. In other words, the utilization of speaking English as a talent demonstrates the People's greater proficiency with the language. Or, some individuals assess someone's proficiency in English based just on their ability to speak the language, rather than any other language abilities. In addition, student‟s languages are considered successful if they can communicate effectively in their second or a foreign language. There is a clear need for many students to speak and interact in the language in a variety of situations, including formal and informal ones as well as for business, international travel, and other professional reasons, as English has recently become more popular in Nigeria as an international language of communication.

Speaking means a lot in communication. So it means that speaking is an activity that people can communicate what they want directly and the others can grasp and give responses in a short time. English has a huge significance and is a crucial part of our everyday lives as a global language. As a foreign language in Nigeria, it plays a major role in many aspects such as education, economy, international relationship, technology, sports, politics, religion, etc. Relating to the problem in teaching English, Nigeria introduces English since in elementary school as a local content, to give English to children as early as possible in order to shape them in such a way that they would be able to face the globalization era. English becomes a compulsory subject especially in vocational schools. Gaining skillful and great knowledge in English cannot be acquired in a short time because it is not our language. There are many factors influencing English learning in Nigeria. One of them is the difference between English and other Nigeria Languages in many elements, either lexically or grammatically. The difference in the structure and vocabulary between Nigeria languages and English is what propels error in student‟s production of words.

The earlier theory of the (SLA) second language acquisition considered any kinds of error as a result of first language (L1) or native language Interference when speakers transfer L1 habits into second language (L2) systems (Ellis, 2008; Poulisse & Bongaerts, 1994). The SLA development hypothesis, which contends that mistake is a signal of second language processing growth and is not always brought on by interferences from the first language (L1), refuted this idea.

The study of Sabzalipour (2012), which focused on the analysis of students' errors shows that 31% of those mistakes were due to L1 transfer. Other significant mistakes included 68% intra-lingual errors. In another study done by Sanusi (1988) it focused on the semantic inter-lingual errors in the performance which is a case study of negative transfer in language learning of Yoruba speakers of English as a second language. The study offered examples of lexico-semantic inter-lingual errors made by certain Yoruba students learning English as a second language in various chosen institutions in Ilorin, Nigeria, using errors analysis (EA) as a theoretical framework. As evident from the findings, errors committed by Yoruba native speakers obtaining a second language like English, reveals some of the strategies employed by the learners. Such strategies include direct translation of Yoruba ideas and expressions into English. An awareness of one of the strategies discussed earlier will afford an English language teacher the opportunity of working out ways of overcoming such errors through improved teaching methods. Another pedagogical advantage of such findings is that they may be used to form a basis for planning for future group of learners with the same or similar background. Language learners must practice their target language extensively over time to get gratifying outcomes in their attempts to communicate spontaneously and effectively. Every language learner's ultimate objective is to become communicatively competent. Fluency and accuracy must be balanced in order to be considered communicatively competent. In other words, a language learner has to understand how to use the language both responsibly and accurately.

1.2 Statement of Research Problem

Based on the research in teaching English language at university level, it is observed that some students are unable to construct well-formed English sentences explicitly with regards to the spoken aspect of English language. The research is therefore exploring more on the causes and effect of these errors.

The problem of this research is as follows:

1. What kinds of mistakes can be spotted in students' conversational speech?

2. Which grammatical mistakes do students make the most frequently?

3. What are the causes of the errors committed?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

Examining university students' spoken English for grammatical faults is the study's principal goal. The specific objectives of this study are;

To recognize the types of errors in students conversations.

To know the most frequent grammatical errors committed by students during speech production.

To explore the causes of errors committed by students and deliver solutions to them.

1.4 Research Question/ Hypothesis

The study attempts to provide answers to the following questions:

1. What are the most common language errors made by English language speakers at the University?

2. How frequent do these errors occur in their construction of English sentences?

3. What are the causes of errors in spoken English?

Nevertheless, the most common errors made by the University students relates to; Subject-verb agreement, Tense errors, Preposition, and pronunciation of words. Certain types of errors also occur at very high rate in spoken English.

1.5 Significance of the Study

1. The research will be useful to other researchers in the future, lecturers, students and book editors.

2. The research shall also play an important role in the development of the inter language hypothesis.

3. For English teachers, hopefully this research can give a reference to select the better ways in teaching process.

4. For students, they can know what they should do after knowing their speaking competence, so that they can be better in learning English.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is delineated to examine the errors in the spoken English of University students. The geographic range of the study will be focused on 30 students from the selected University. It covers students of different Departments.

1.7 Limitation of the Study

Financial constraint- Lack of funding often makes it more difficult for researchers to collect data effectively and find the necessary resources, books, or information (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will do this research in addition to other academic activity at the same time. As a result, less time will be spent on the research project.

Administration of questionnaires: Administering the questionnaire to the respondents was not easy for the researcher, because of the inability of meeting the right respondents.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Error: In linguistics, it is the Part of a statement that is not correct. A mistake, especially one that impacts outcomes or creates issues. A mistake is an erroneous or improper activity. An error is often used interchangeably with the word mistakeThe term "error" in statistics describes the discrepancy between the computed result and the correct value. Failure or a deviance from the anticipated performance or behavior might come from an error.

Analysis: Analysis is an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole. Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it.

Error analysis: This is a branch of applied linguistics. It is concerned with the compilation, study and analysis of errors made by second language learners and aims at investigating aspects of second language acquisition.

Spoken English: The spoken English has to do with the ways in which the English language is transmitted through a conventional system of sounds, Compared to written English.

Students: A student is primarily a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. Pupils are those enrolled in primary and elementary schools in the United Kingdom and the majority of Commonwealth nations; students are those enrolled in secondary schools and above.