A Grammatical Assessment of Preachers' Application of English Concord

Abstract

The observation of concord rules poses one of the greatest grammatical challenges in the use of English as a second language (L₂) in Nigeria owing to the non-existence of the phenomenon in most Nigerian languages. This study investigates the degree of competence exhibited by Pastors in the application of English grammatical concord. The need for the work is underscored by the crucial roles played by the English language in Nigeria and also in consideration of the fact that Pastors interact with an appreciable percentage of Nigerians and can influence their learning of the English language either negatively or positively. The findings of the study are thus germane to English language learning and pedagogy. The primary data for the study were garnered from spontaneous sermons delivered by eight pastors in Awka metropolis. The errors noticed are categorized according to the different types of concord. The analysis reveals that the Pastors have poor mastery of the rules of concord. The causes of the concord errors in the data are more intralingual than interlingual. The implications of the findings for the learning of English as a second language are discussed and suggestions for improvement made.