The theorists of interference believe that acquisition of the first language usually affects performance in the subsequent language learnt.
Bamgbose (1971) said most of the phonetic characteristics in the English of Nigerians can be traced back to the transfer features from their local languages. For example sound like voiced labiodentals /v/ and voiceless fricative /f/ that are present in English are absent in Yoruba which makes it difficult for Yoruba to acquire English sounds. Also lack of long vowels in Yoruba hinders the acquisition of long vowels in English by Yoruba English bilingual. E.g. sit, /sit/
Yoruba language does not have sounds like /z/ and /t∫/. They are likely to pronounce zoo as /soo/ while champion and child are pronounced as /shampion/ and /saild/ respectively.
The Hausa speakers tend to replace bilabial voiceless stop /p/ with labiodental fricative voiceless /f/. For example problem pyramid, pot, paper, people are pronounced as /froblem/, /firamid/, /fot/, /fefa/, /fifl/.
Aladeyomi and Adetunde (2007) carried out a research that Igbo speaks always substituted the vowel sound /e/ for /I/ words like presented are pronounced as /prizentid/.
It is commonly known that a person’s first language often exercise a tremendous influence on the learning and use of second foreign alternative language. It has become easy to notice the influence of mother tongue in a speaker’s output especially at the early stages of learning the additional language.
In Nigeria it is often observed that the speech of Yoruba speaker of English can at the early stage of the enterprise be distinguished from the speech of Hausa speakers of English. Just as the speech of Igbo speaker may equally standout from that of Yoruba and Hausa. Such distinguishing features maybe observed more easily and readily at the phonological level of analysis through the sematic and the syntactic levels.
Dunstan (1990) provide illustrations on the ways in which twelve Nigerian languages differ phonologically and the ways in which the phonological systems can be source of interference to the learners and users of English language.
Therefore, we can then conclude that the basic problem of interference of mother tongue on English language in our schools is traceable to the phonological problems of the students. A student may pronounce the word ‘ruler’ as ‘lular’. (i.e. Student from Igbo, Igala tribes).
2.4 THE MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION
Language variation occasionally by medium of communication recognizes mainly speech and writing. The two being system of communication. Speech is a phonological system while writing is a graph logical one. So, the two are bound to show variation even contribute to the lexicon grammatical system and meaning in a given language.
A native speaker acquires speech first he learns to write later. Speech deals with sounds and organs of speech and level of representation and symbols. It appeals mainly to the ear, while writing deals with marks on a surface with the hand playing a key role. Speech is comparatively flibcing and perishable particularly in primitive societies but in advanced cultures, speech is easily preserved. Writing is more permanent and can be used for preservation of knowledge, culture and history.
Mother tongue interference is a phenomenon viewed by many scholars as mother tongue influence which had been an actual response to the applied results of the structural methods known as audio-visual, audio-oral and structural-global (lekova 2010)
Liu (2001) defines language interference or transfer as a persistent term and has led to diverse interpretation and researchers.
Mother tongue (MT) interference in particular as language transfer known as L1 interference, linguistic interference and a cross meaning, which refers to speakers or writers applying the knowledge from their native language acquisition method into learning a second language.
Viola (2013) said interference is the early step to integration perceived as a welcome process of using mother tongue or other languages in the using of a target language. He said interference can appear in phonology, grammar, word formation, and word and sentence sequence.
Karim and Nassaji (2013) were of the opinion that the difficulties in L1 transfer and its importance into second acquisition (SLA) besides, the relationships between students L1 and L2 linguistic resources always appear difficult. So far, the mismatch between the language used in schooling and spoken at home might have important influences for educational attainment. It natural as well as scientific that every language is governed by rule, style, appearance etc. whenever we encounter a foreign language, our natural tendency wants to hear it in terms of the sounds of our own language that, we actually perceive it rather differently from the way native speakers do.
