The Influence of Fulfulde on English Language: A Focus on Pronunciation
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of Fulfulde English language pronunciation. It is set on the premise that speakers of Fulfulde, irrespective of their educational background, pronounce words differently because their first language, Fulfulde, interferes with their English speech. The target population for this study is the Fulfulde speakers of Zhoa in Fungom Subdivision (Menchum Division). The researchers used a reading test as a data collecting instrument through which consonants, consonant clusters, vowels (selected monophthongs and diphthongs) and stress pattern were tested. The theory used is Selinker’s Interlanguage theory which explains the intermediate grammar of second language learners in a continuum in the course of learning a second language. This intermediate grammar comprises pronunciation errors that are influenced by features of the learner’s first language. Findings reveal that Fulfulde speakers face many difficulties in pronouncing English words because features of their first language inhibit their performance in English pronunciation. The findings also reveal that specific features like consonant clusters, closing diphthongs and stress patterns constitute most of the pronunciation challenges faced by the respondents. Conscious of this challenge, many create innovations or do some approximations in pronunciation which make their English different.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Hans Mbonwuh Fonka, Mohamadou A. Donowo

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