ABSTRACT
This research work is a cursory observation of how the English Fricatives are used among the Yoruba speakers of English Language.
At the phonemic level of interference, English Language for instance has the voiceless fricatives /θ/ which is absent in the Yoruba Language. For this sound, the Yoruba Speakers of English substitute the voiceless alveolar fricative /t/. Thus, the English word “theme” and “thought” are realized as /tim/ and /tot/ respectively.
This research work shall be looking at only the Yoruba people of the southern part, of the country, especially, the Yoruba people within the terrain of Oyo State.
In this research work, emphasis shall be laid on the wrong pronunciation of sounds, especially those sounds that are as a result of factors, that arc likely to be responsible for the wrong or right pronunciation of the fricative sounds.
Chapter One of this research work focused on the general introduction while Chapter Two is based on the Literature Review which concentrates on works of other Linguists. Chapter Three explains the methodology of the research work while Chapter Four critically looked into the analysis of the data collection and presentations, and also the major problems of the Nigerian Speakers of the English Language. Chapter Five summarized the research work and recommendation was made in helping to solve the problems associated with some lapses in the Received pronunciation of English fricatives.
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Experts in all fields hold on to one belief or the other. To sociolinguists, language can never be divorced from the society. Therefore society is of more importance to their study. To scientists, facts can never be ignored in the process of observation; this of course forms the basis of their theorizing. To historians, sourcing information by which ever means to establish historical facts must be strictly adhered to. So also a phonetician believes in the proper study of the properties of individual sounds that make up a language. An aspect of this forms the basis of this research work.
This research work aims at analyzing the English fricatives as used among the Yoruba speakers of English language.