THE PROCESSING OF SYNTACTIC AMBIGUITY IN ENGLISH: A STUDY OF FEDERAL COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, ZARIA AND KANO STUDENTS.
THE PROCESSING OF SYNTACTIC AMBIGUITY IN ENGLISH: A STUDY OF FEDERAL COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, ZARIA AND KANO STUDENTS.
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Date
2000-12
Authors
ABDULRASHEED, RASHIDA .S.
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
This study was designed to investigate the processing of syntactic
ambiguity in students' writing.
The sample of 100 respondents were randomly selected from
Federal Colleges of Education, Zaria and Kano.
Elicitation experiment is used as a technique for data gathering
and within the technique used, various questions were asked.
These test questions were divided into four (4) sections: Section
A, B, C, and D.
The data analysis was based on seventy (70) questions spread
across four different sections. This will be done in percentage.
The result of the analysis revealed that majority of the students
were poorly sensitive to ambiguity. Below is the summary of the
information computed from the data analysis.
The result showed that majority of the students failed the test
which in turn points to the fact that detecting ambiguity in written
form poses a great challenge to both students and teachers of
English.
Ambiguity or double meaning is a student's worst enemy when
they write. This is so because it prevents a reader from
understanding students intended meaning. Students more often
than not know what their intended messages are, but because of
haste or inattention or for lack of knowledge they express them in
such a way that the reader receives more than one meaning.
Description
A thesis submitted to the post-graduate school, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the
Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in English Faculty of Arts,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Keywords
PROCESSING, SYNTACTIC, AMBIGUITY, ENGLISH