THE RELEVANCE AND USES OF PHONETICS IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
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THE RELEVANCE AND USES OF PHONETICS IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
ABSTRACT
In the junior high and high school levels in the esakor West local government area of Edo State, this study investigates the value and applications of phonetics.
The project examines language as a notion, as well as its uses and abilities, in order to determine this. Examining vowel and consonant sounds as well as English phonemes.
Consequently, efforts are focused on interpreting the data acquired with the study approach utilised to obtain the data in light of the aforementioned.
In order to wrap up this investigation, a summary of the findings is given, followed by discussion, conclusion, and recommendations.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Without a doubt, English will continue to be the primary language used in Nigeria (Jolayemi, 2007). English is plainly the formal or official language of the nation because it is a Lingua Franca.
This status explains why Nigeria sets such a high value on it. Being a foreign language, its abilities must be learned rather than naturally developed.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has frequently shown its commitment to the promotion and development of the language in the nation because it is necessary for the efficient functioning of the nation. As a result, the government uses multiple tactics or plans.
The inclusion of English as a subject of study in the school curricula is a crucial component of these efforts intended to ensure the expansion of the English language in Nigeria.
A speaking competence, or knowledge that enables learners to speak the language in the same way as native speakers, is of special importance to curriculum designers.
Phonetics and phonology refers to the area of English that satisfies this interest. Phonetics is described as the study and description of the physical characteristics of human speech sounds by Akande (2002). Articulatory phonetics, Auditory phonetics, and Acoustic phonetics are subcategories.
The process by which speech sounds are patterned into a system of a particular language is known as phonology, on the other hand (Akande, 2002). Segmental and supra-segmental levels of the English language’s phonology are investigated.
While supra-segmental level phonology analyses stress, rhythm, intonation, and tone, segmental phonology deals with the consonant and vowel phonemes of the English language.
How well a learner has internalised certain aspects of the English language sounds system typically determines how proficient they are in speaking English.
It is unfortunate that most students today, regardless of their educational level, are unable to recognise English phonemes since those phonemes have been over- or under-differentiated and reinterpreted for their home tongue(s) (Alabi, 2002).
Additionally, when students encounter English consonant clusters that do not exist in their original tongue, they often struggle greatly.
The students’ degree of proficiency with English’s stress and intonation patterns is notably poor because it differs greatly from their native tongues, which are mostly tonal in nature.
The students typically speak English words the way they hear them orthographically in their native tongues or dialects, which makes their communication to outsiders rather incomprehensible.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Nigeria has made concerted efforts to ensure that candidates for these examinations perform at their best ever since 1989 or thereabouts,
when Oral English or English Paper 3 (Test of Orals) became a required paper to be written in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WAEC and NECO).
In order to achieve this goal of having the citizenry speak English fluently and benefit from the numerous advantages that come with it, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, invests a significant portion of its resources each year in hiring, training, and retraining English language teachers.
As a result, opinions on the effects of teaching phonology in Nigerian secondary schools are divided. While some believe that the topic has improved the pupils’ spoken English.
The pessimist contends that despite the training of oral English, kids in our secondary schools still exhibit distinct speech patterns.
They believe that some pupils have actually turned to their mother tongue (MT) in order to calm their anxiety when speaking English.
This school of thinking holds that only a very small percentage of these pupils have high English skills, possibly as a result of their upbringing.
This study sought out to determine whether or not the statements were true in light of the aforementioned argument.
Its title is “The Influence of Teaching Phonology on Junior Secondary School Students’ Spoken English.” students in Edo State’s Esakor West local government area.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study’s aims are;
To investigate the connection between junior secondary school students’ academic performance and phonetic instruction.
To determine whether there is a substantial connection between the instructors’ credentials and the phonetic instruction they provide in junior high and high schools.
To determine the value of and applications for phonetics in junior high and high school
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
Ho: There is no correlation between junior secondary school pupils’ academic performance and phonetic instruction.
Hello: There is a strong correlation between junior secondary school kids’ academic achievement and the phonetic instruction they receive.
Ho: Phonetics aren’t used or relevant in junior high or high school.
Hello: In junior high and senior school, phonetics is important and used.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study aims to determine the effects of phonology instruction on senior secondary school students’ spoken English in the schools situated in the esakor West local government region of Edo State.
Teachers and students were chosen at random to participate in the project. So, for this project’s empirical hypothesis, 120 students and teachers served as the source.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
The study’s focus is on the value and applications of phonetics in junior high and secondary education in the Esakor West local government area of Edo State. The study’s scope was constrained due to a constraint the researcher encountered;
a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The researcher’s access to suitable research material limits the investigation.
b) TIME: Because the researcher must juggle the study with other academic obligations and exams, the time allotted for the investigation does not improve wider coverage.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERM
The study and analysis of the physical characteristics of human sounds is known as phonetics.
The study of how speech sounds are patterned and arranged into a system of a particular language is known as phonology.
Acoustic phonetics: This branch of phonetics examines the path taken by sound waves as they are transmitted from a speaker to a listener.
Auditory phonetics is the study of how sounds affect the human ear. It investigates how the listener interprets sounds.
The description of the human speech organs involved, as well as the source air stream that is altered in the generation of speech sounds, is the focus of articulatory phonetics, another area of phonetics.
The learner’s mother tongue is their first language.
Mother Tongue Interference: This is when a student’s (learner’s) native tongue is evident in their use of the English language. Interference is a significant issue for non-native English speakers learning the language.
A language that is not the learner’s native tongue is referred to as a foreign language. English, French, and Arabic are a few examples of foreign languages spoken in Nigeria.
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