Nsukka Journal of African Languages & Linguistics Stemming Learning Difficulties among Alternate Learners of Nigerian Languages Modesta ijeoma Iloene Institute of Nigerian Languages, University of Nigeria, Aba Campus Abstract The need to meet the national imperative of learning a language other than one’s mother tongue necessitated the mounting of Alternate language (AL) programmes in the nation’s secondary and higher institutions. It is, however doubtful that the educational objectives of these programmes are being met due to a range of variables that conspire to generate learning difficulties among the learners. This paper is a modest account of these variables with particular reference to the Igbo language. Data used for this study were obtained from both learners of Igbo as alternate language and Igbo language teachers. The researcher drew some data from experience, over the years, with acculturation students in the Institute of Nigerian languages, now University of Nigeria, Aba campus, and the rest from an interview of a random sample of Igbo language teachers in Nigerian colleges of education and federal government colleges during an interaction in a workshop on Acculturation in the same Institute from 7th – 10th September, 2008. The study reveals that Psychological, linguistic, and environmental variables generate difficulties for the AL learners in Nigeria and finally advocates that the AL teachers productively harness the treasure hidden in CLT to enhance learners’ attitudes and motivation, stem learning difficulties and ultimately achieve instructional effectiveness in the interest of AL pedagogy. 1.0 Introduction Nigeria as a state of many nations has always felt the need for unity and co- operation among the various ethnic nationalities. This unity and co-operation has been the target of many policies and programmes Nigeria has evolved among which is the language provision in section 1 (8) of the National Policy on Education (NPE). The section states inter-alia that “government considers it to be in the interest of National unity that each child should be encouraged to learn one of the three major languages (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) other than his own mother tongue. In line with the above provision, some Federal Universities and colleges of Education in Nigeria run AL language programmes in Nigerian languages. Secondary schools in Nigeria are expected to teach at least one of the three major languages including the language of their immediate locality. One does not look too far to observe that little success has been recorded in this regard. This is apparent in the perennial lack of teachers of Nigerian Languages as most graduates of this programme end up abandoning the subject or choosing to teach the subject they combined with the AL usually a foreign language. Experience over the years with students of Igbo as an alternate language on acculturation has shown that inadequate learning contributes to this ugly trend; more so when one does not give what one does not have The second language learners encounter learning difficulties of various forms and magnitude. The case of alternate learners of Nigerian languages cannot be different, however what is different is the nature and 1 Stemming Learning Difficulties among Alternate Learners of Nigerian Languages extent of such difficulties inherent in variations in specific languages, and the structure of the state in which such languages are used. This paper examines the causes of learning difficulties in an alternate Nigerian language classroom, with special reference to Igbo. It also draws insights from Communicative language teaching (CLT) to improve instructional outcomes and stem learning difficulties, without losing sight of the factors that constrain effective use of CLT in AL pedagogy. Before we settle down to our target discussion, it is important that we do some terminological clearance. 1.1 Second language (L2) and Alternate language (AL) In applied linguistics parlance, a second language is a language that is used and taught in a country where it is not an indigenous language. In a particular country, however, more than one language can be in use. These constitute indigenous languages in the country. Thus, when speakers of different languages of the same country learn the languages of one another, they learn alternate languages of the country. It is with this understanding that I choose to refer to the programme mounted in the federal government colleges and colleges of education in Nigeria, in response to the NPE, to teach Hausa/Igbo/Yoruba to non-native speakers as Alternate Language Programme. Programmes meant to teach languages like English and French to Nigerians are Second language programmes. The implication is that Hausa/Igbo/Yoruba is an alternate language to anyone learning it other than the mother tongue (mother tongue loosely defined to mean one’s native and first language). Second and alternate languages differ only in definition. Their pedagogical implications do not seem to differ, hence the tendency to refer to both as Second language learning/ teaching. It is important at this point to take a brief look at the nature of L2 learning so as to provide a theoretical background for this study. 1.2 The Nature of Second Language (L2) Learning Much has been said about second language learning in the literatures. Researchers have often relied on theoretical accounts of first language (L1) acquisition to explain second language learning. The innatist theory of Chomsky (1957) and behaviourist psychological theory of Skinner (1957) have been influential in this regard. The behaviourists explain language acquisition in terms of imitation, practice and habit formation. According to this theory, a child develops a language by imitating adult speech, given reinforcement in the form of reward, and practice; the child forms the habit of producing correct response. Chomsky (1957) is a swift opposition to the behaviourist account of L1 acquisition. It maintains that the child is endowed with an innate language-learning ability in the form of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which specifies the form of a grammar of a possible human language, and a strategy for selecting a grammar of the appropriate form that is compatible with the primary linguistic data (PLD). With the innate strategy, the child is able to match the language she/he hears around with the form of a particular grammar from a fairly restricted set of potential languages. The LAD enables the child to, from the meager and degenerate data actually available, create hypotheses about the form of the grammar of the language she/he acquires, and compare it with his/her innate knowledge of the grammar of a possible language that is congruent with the abstract principles of universal grammar. 2 Nsukka Journal of African Languages & Linguistics These two accounts of L1 acquisition have greatly influenced innovations in language teaching as efforts were made to place L2 learning in the moulds of L1 acquisition, the weaknesses of both theories notwithstanding. However, the L2 learner is different from a child acquiring L1 both in terms of personal characteristics and condition of learning. A child acquiring a L1 is aspiring on its own to possess a means of self expression, does not know what a language is, but as times go on, it manages to work out one from its immediate environment. The L2 learner on the other hand, already knows and uses at least one language and usually requires a formal instruction which presents some challenges. Thus L2 and even AL learners manifest a wide range of individual differences in personality, styles, strategies and pace of learning. This explains why Burt and Dulay (1980:76) describe L2 learning as a ‘two way street” the learner, and the mental and physical machinery associated with his/her comprising one dimension while the environment, including the teacher, classroom and the surrounding community is the other. Teachers have often wondered aloud why some L2, and by implication, AL students do excel in language instructions while others only struggle with or even ignore it. 1.3 Learning Difficulties in Nigerian Languages as AL Learning difficulty refers to the inhibition that learners experience in attaining the level of achievement set by the teacher/school in a course of instruction/programme. This inhibition is usually manifested in the feedbacks learners provide behaviourally, as a result of language input they received during instructions. The most common feedbacks learners provide are systematic errors found in the learners’ speech and writing. Thus, when in the AL classroom of Nigerian Languages, learners produce systematic errors caused by lack of proficiency in the alternate language, which inhibit their attainment of instructional goals; they can be said to experience learning difficulties. Difficulties caused by language or learning disabilities evident in language disorders of various types such as articulation problems, phonological information processing problems and memory problems, are not part of this paper. 1.4 Causes of learning Difficulties in Alternate language Classroom in Nigeria The National Institute for Nigerian languages, Aba, now part of the University of Nigeria, has played host to Learners of Igbo as alternate language across the country since !993. This is in response to the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) minimum standard for language which requires that students running alternate language programme spend the long vacation in the Institute where the standard language is spoken for a minimum of twelve weeks. Experience has shown that of the numerous students that pass through acculturation programme in this Institute, only very few are actually interested in making a career in the alternate language teaching after graduation. As a matter of fact only one graduate student of Adeyemi College of Education Ondo is known to now teach in the college. The lecturers who bring the students from all the participating schools are all Igbo L1 lecturers except this former student of Adeyemi college of Education.