The Applications of Phonemic Contrasts and Their Implications for Oral English Teaching in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper focuses on the applications of phonemic contrasts in the utterances of forty
final-year Yoruba-English bilingual University undergraduates and the implications of their
applications on pedagogic practices especially in English as a second language (ESL)
environment. This subject is rarely studied in Nigeria, yet, it might be significant for
shaping the effective teaching of oral English. The respondents, twenty of whom were
students of English and the other twenty, students of Yoruba, were tested based on the
framework of traditional phonemic theory. The results indicated that only 40% of the
students studying Yoruba Linguistics were able to apply phonemic contrasts in the
rendition of English words whereas 60% of the students undertaking English Studies did.
The study establishes application or otherwise of phonological rules as a vital dimension of
investigating phonological variation and proficiencies in ESL and suggests the need to pay
more attention to the area in ESL teaching and learning operations, especially for students
in other disciplines.

Keywords: phonemic contrast, English as a second language, oral English teaching, Nigeria

MARANG Vol. 18 2008 pp. 29-36