ABSTRACT Whatever the area of specialization, we need to acquire proficiency in English to function. When we examine the goals of English language teaching in Ghana, it is clear that English is taught to enable us to use the language to communicate effectively. We need English to pursue studies in other subjects, for further studies, for employment, for social, recreational and administrative purposes. Since English is not our native language, its use as a medium of communication in our scho...
ABSTRACT The complexities and technicalities in the usage of the nominal group has been a matter of concern to English users especially in countries that have adopted English as their official language. In such countries English is only taught in school but students generally speak their native language and seldom speak the English language. The situation is no different in Ghana where students will generally use their native language as medium of communication and only use the English lang...
ABSTRACT The term, washback or backwash is used in Applied Linguistics to refer to the influence high-stakes tests have on teaching and learning of second/foreign language. The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) English language tests administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) are high-stakes tests which have very important consequences for the junior and senior high school leavers respectively....
ABSTRACT This study was set to address the impact of using L1 (mother tongue) as medium of instruction in an L2 (English language) classroom in the upper basic level of St Aidan’s Anglican Basic School in Wa, the upper West Region of Ghana. The study focused on the reasons and effects of using L1 as a medium of instruction in L2 classrooms. The study adopted the qualitative research approach and used interviews and observation as tools in collecting and analyzing the data. In all, twenty-s...
ABSTRACT Classroom interaction refers to the exchanges that occur between the teacher and the learner during a classroom discourse. This study examined the application of Sinclair and Coulthard‘s (1975) model of exchange structure (IRF) in classrooms in schools in Pokuase in the Ga-North Municipality. In examining the classroom interaction, the study focused mainly on Initiation-Response and Feedback (IRF) as a pedagogical technique used in the ESL classroom. To achieve the objectives, da...
ABSTRACT This work focuses on the lexical variations in the Ghanaian Sign Language with emphasis on the distinctions between these variations and their effects on the language development of the Deaf. An earlier study investigated by Schembri et al, (2013) focused on the regional lexical variations for colour, names of countries, numbers, and United Kingdom place names. These were elicited as part of the Britain Sign Language (BSL) Corpus project. The results showed that School location and ...
ABSTRACT The study investigated the use of discourse markers in lecture delivery in second language (L2) lecture setting in two selected Ghanaian Universities. The research identified the types of discourse markers used in lectures in Ghanaian universities, examined the functions that these markers perform in lecture and determined the categories of discourse markers used. The data for this research were recorded from lecturers from six faculties and three schools in the University of Educa...
ABSTRACT This thesis examines question formation in Sɩsaalɩ, a member of the Grusi sub-group of the Gur languages (Naden 1988) spoken in the Upper West Region of Ghana and some parts of Burkina Faso. I discuss the syntax of polar, alternative and content questions. Two strategies for the formation of polar questions are identified which are the phonological and syntactic strategies. While the former involves the phonological strategy of falling intonation, the latter uses the question p...
ABSTRACT This thesis presents some phonological processes in Amenfi and Fiase dialects of Wassa. Wassa is one of the unwritten and least studied languages in Ghana. The language belongs to the Niger Congo language family. The study is cast within the theoretical framework of autosegmental phonology. The approach applied in this dissertation is qualitative. Data for the analyses are drawn from both primary and secondary sources. The phonological processes discussed in this work include vowel...
ABSTRACT This work seeks to find out the causes of language contact in the Gbi Dzigbe community. It is also to identify the languages that are in contact with Gbi Dzigbe Dialect of Eʋe (GDDE), and whether those languages have had any effect on the GDDE, if they have, what effects have they had the on the GDDE. Data was collected through observation and interview. The indigenous people of Gbi Dzigbe (GD) were used. The study showed that Gbi Dzi Traditional Area (GDTA) is a multilingu...
ABSTRACT Reading is one of the basic skills that a child has to master during their first school years to be able to assimilate new knowledge and skills in future. The aim of the study was to explore factors that contribute to reading difficulties among primary five learners and the challenges faced by teachers in teaching them how to read. The sample comprised sixty (60) participants drawn from the Salvation Army Primary School in Apam. The study employed the qualitative research design base...
ABSTRACT This research was aimed at discovering pronunciation errors Chinese EFL learners commit. To do this, a qualitative study was conducted on the pronunciation errors of 10 undergraduate freshmen of Jianghan University. The data collected and used for the analysis comprised those gathered through interview, reading exercise, and observation. Errors related to segmental and suprasegmental features were identified. They include consonantal and vowel errors in addition to stress, intonati...
ABSTRACT This research work looked into the influences of L1 (Akan and Ewe) on L2 in students’ communication in English, the effects of the influences and the possible solutions to these influences in Presbyterian Senior High School, Akim Begoro. It discussed related works on the topic. The qualitative approach was used and the design adopted was case study. Observation, interview and written test were the instruments employed to collect the data from a purposive sampled participants. The s...
ABSTRACT The study analyzed the concord errors committed by students of Akatsi No. 1 Junior High School. Its main objective was to find the types of concord errors they commit and the possible factors that account for the errors. Data were collected from JHS 2 and 3 students of Akatsi No. 1 Junior High School by way of questionnaire and in-class essays and analyzed. The findings revealed that the concord errors found in students’ writing were many, including subject-verb concord errors. T...
ABSTRACT This study focuses on sociolinguistic analysis of address terms in Akyem Asuboa in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It seeks to explore the various categories of address terms, identify some inappropriate address terms, explore the effects of inappropriate address terms and examine people‟s reaction towards the inappropriate use of address terms among the people of Akyem Asuboa. Qualitative method is employed for an indepth understanding of the research. Twenty (20) participants ...