Cross Linguistic Influence on English Usage of Rivers State University of Science and Technology Freshmen

Abstract

This paper examines specific instances of L₁ interference on L₂ in the syntactic structures of the second language learners’ writing. This paper also identifies the effect of the differences and/or similarities between the structures of L₁ and L₂ on the use of English among UST students. The study focuses on the effect of each of the areas of difficulty identified on a native speaker’s interpretation of the written text. It also identifies the importance of the learner’s knowledge of the syntactic structures of L₁, which cause difficulty in L₂. The study is designed to make the learner aware of the errors made and how they may be rectified. It provides new information in the L₂ learning context. Finally, it identifies the language use and knowledge of the learner; it attempts to provide up-to-date evidence in the current L₂ learning. An important aspect of this study is that it provides an interesting comparison of four groups of languages, namely Igboid, Ogonoid, Ijoid and English, this is a move from other researches which focus on one Nigerian language and English and this is useful for the current local teaching context.