INFLUENCE OF INTER-ETHNIC MARRIAGE AND SELECTED VARIABLES ON CHILDREN'S LANGUAGE ACQUISITION.

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Date
1996-01
Authors
ANAKA, DEBORAH NWADIONU
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Abstract
vii ABSTRACT This study investigation on the influence of interethnic marriage and such other variables as (a) age of children (b) peer-group or play-mates (c) School (d) environment and (e) Parents' educational attainment on the children's language acquisition. These variables were assumed to influence children's mother tongue acquisition. There were four research questions and six basic assumptions. The views of various authors in the area of language acquisition in a bilingual environment were highlighted. The factors that psycho-linguists viewed as responsible for language acquisition in children were also looked at. Five hundred (500) Hausa and Yoruba couples as well five hundred (500) Hausa and Yoruba children were administered with questionnaire. Their response were used to answer the research questions. Oral interviews were conducted on forty-four (44) selected children, using audio cassette recorder. Their responses were used for the measurement of communicative competence. The data collected from the study were presented, using frequency distribution tables, simple percentages and cross-tabulation. The result of the study showed that inter-ethnic marriage and environment have some influence on viii children's native language a cquisition. Age of children, the peer-group or play-mates with which the children associate were discovered to have less influence on children's native language acquisition. It was also discovered that the school attended by the children as well as parents' educational attainment have little influence on their native language acquisition. From the result of the oral interview with the children, it was discovered that most of them were more fluent in Hausa language than in Yoruba language. This was more evident amongst children of inter-ethnic couples. The role of parents as the prime - movers in children's language acquisition was really upheld. It was therefore concluded that parents are still the strongest sources of children's language acquisition. Other agencies of learning such as peer-group or play-mates and school were discovered to be of secondary importance, and as such, they were concluded as having no major influence on children's language acquisition. It was therefore recommended that parents should continue in their efforts as their children's model in language acquisition, especially in inter-ethnic homes.
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA, NIGERIA.
Keywords
INFLUENCE,, INTER-ETHNIC,, MARRIAGE,, SELECTED,, VARIABLES,, CHILDREN'S,, LANGUAGE,, ACQUISITION.
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