CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Error analysis is a branch of applied linguistics that studies the mistakes language learners make by comparing the learners’ output with the target language. It grew out of dissatisfaction with contrastive analysis, which proved an unreliable guide to what learners actually find difficult, and it became an established part of applied linguistics in the 1970s through the work of S. Pit Corder and others. Error analysis treats learner errors as evidence of how learners are acquiring the language and of the rules they have worked out for themselves, which are often called their interlanguage. By describing and classifying errors systematically, teachers can find the areas that need reinforcement. The approach rests on the distinction between an error, which reflects a gap in the learner’s knowledge and recurs systematically, and a mistake, which is a slip in performance. It remains a common framework for studies of the written English of second-language learners (“Concord errors in postgraduates’ dissertations and theses,” 2016).

Concord, or agreement, is the grammatical relationship in which one element of a sentence must match another in number, person or tense. Subject–verb concord requires a singular subject to take a singular verb and a plural subject a plural verb. Pronoun–antecedent concord requires a pronoun to agree with the noun it refers to, and tense concord requires verb forms within a sentence or passage to be consistent in time. A construction that breaks these rules contains an error of concord. Mastery of concord is needed for good speech and writing, because ungrammatical sentences weaken the clarity and credibility of a piece of writing and reflect badly on the writer.

In Nigeria, English is the main language of instruction in schools beyond the early primary years and the language of instruction in universities (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013), so students need a good command of English grammar to succeed in every subject, not only in English. Yet studies show that concord problems persist at all levels of education. An analysis of the written examination scripts of 50 final-year undergraduates at a Nigerian university found that subject–verb agreement was among the five most common errors, alongside verb tense, spelling, prepositions and capitalisation, and concluded that more attention should be given to such errors in Nigerian higher institutions (Amuseghan & Tunde-Awe, n.d.). A study of the written English of Diploma 1 students in Jigawa State found that tense concord errors were the most frequent, followed by subject–verb errors and then pronoun–antecedent errors (“Analysis of concord use errors in the written English essays of Diploma 1 students in selected institutions in Jigawa State,” n.d.). Even postgraduate students have been found to produce concord errors in their dissertations and theses, which shows that the problem is not limited to beginners (“Concord errors in postgraduates’ dissertations and theses,” 2016).

These findings suggest that the teaching and learning of concord still pose a problem. Teachers often concentrate on simple subject–verb agreement and give less attention to other forms, such as concord within tenses, notional concord, proximity concord and concord with relative pronouns (who, which, that, whose). Concord errors can hinder communication and reduce confidence in the effectiveness of educational institutions. It therefore seems necessary to identify the concord errors that students produce and to find ways of reducing them. This study analyses the effects of concord errors in the essays of year one students of Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU).

1.2 Need for the Study

Even advanced learners of English as a second language (ESL) are confused by some of the rules of concord, which supports the need for further study. Concord errors have long been a source of difficulty for teachers and students in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa. They are also widely regarded as damaging to a writer’s reputation, since faulty agreement can signal limited education and can mark a learner’s interlanguage as still developing.

Although teachers and students recognise the problem, the measures taken to improve how concord is taught have been limited. In communicative classrooms, errors in students’ speech and writing are often tolerated, because fluency is rewarded over accuracy and errors are seen as a normal part of developing communication skills. In written work such as essays, however, errors remain visible and can lower marks. Recent Nigerian studies recommend more attention to grammatical accuracy in higher institutions (Amuseghan & Tunde-Awe, n.d.), and a systematic description of the concord errors made by first-year university students would give teachers a sound basis for targeted teaching.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Teachers, examiners and researchers have long been concerned about the poor performance of students in English Language, at both secondary and tertiary levels. Misuse of concord is a common feature of the spoken and written English of many students. It reduces their ability to communicate and can lower their performance in examinations and written assignments. Possible explanations are that students’ knowledge of this grammatical category is limited, that it is not taught well, or that students are influenced by the forms of their first languages and by Nigerian English, so that sentences that work in a local language are carried into English. Some errors may come from mother-tongue influence, as contrastive analysis argued, while others reflect the general cognitive processes of second-language learning (“Concord errors in postgraduates’ dissertations and theses,” 2016). Whatever their cause, concord errors lead to a lack of fluency and may distort the meaning of written and spoken messages. This study examines the effects of concord errors in the essays of year one students of Akwa Ibom State University.

1.4 Basic Assumptions

The study makes the following assumptions:

1. Year one students of AKSU write sentences that lack agreement between subjects and verbs, for example: The player score two goals yesterday.
2. Year one students of AKSU write sentences that lack concord between pronouns and their antecedents, for example: The male students have much time for them class work.
3. Year one students of AKSU write sentences that lack concord in tenses, for example: I went to school library but I cannot find the book I am looking for.

1.5 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to analyse the effects of concord errors in the essays of year one students of Akwa Ibom State University. The specific objectives are to:

1. identify the effects of concord errors in the essays of year one students of Akwa Ibom State University;
2. examine the possible causes of concord errors;
3. show how prevalent concord errors are among year one students of Akwa Ibom State University; and
4. highlight the implications of the findings for the teaching of English in universities, and for curriculum improvement more generally.

1.6 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The scope of a study must be kept to a manageable size. This work therefore covers only concord errors in the essays of students, and not other grammatical errors, punctuation or spelling. It is limited to selected departments of Akwa Ibom State University and to grammatical concord (subject–verb, pronoun–antecedent and tense concord). During the study, tests and assignments will be given to the subjects to bring out their concord problems and to suggest measures to address them. The study therefore involves investigating, identifying, explaining and describing these concord errors.

1.7 Significance of the Study

Research on grammatical structure helps to improve language use. Students of English as a second language face many challenges in mastering English, and concord is one of the grammatical categories they find most confusing, so an in-depth study of it is a worthwhile contribution.

The study will help students by showing them how concord is used correctly and how to correct wrong usage, which will support clear communication in and outside the classroom. It will be useful to teachers of English as a source of material for teaching concord. Authors of English textbooks, especially grammar texts, can use it as a guide to the areas in which students need more exposure and fuller treatment. Finally, the data collected and analysed are expected to contribute to a general picture of the basic difficulties that students face in the use of concord.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Concord: The grammatical agreement between elements of a sentence, such as between a subject and its verb, a pronoun and its antecedent, or the tenses used within a sentence or passage.

Error analysis: The systematic identification, description and explanation of the errors that language learners make.

Concord error: A departure from the rules of agreement in the target language that results from a gap in the learner’s knowledge and recurs systematically.

Year one students: Students in the first year of their undergraduate programme at Akwa Ibom State University.

References

Amuseghan, S. A., & Tunde-Awe, B. M. (n.d.). Error analysis of the written English composition of undergraduates: A case study of Nigeria, 121–127. https://search.shamaa.org/FullRecord?ID=210817

Analysis of concord use errors in the written English essays of Diploma 1 students in selected institutions in Jigawa State. (n.d.). [Thesis]. Ahmadu Bello University. https://kubanni.abu.edu.ng/handle/123456789/9446

Concord errors in postgraduates’ dissertations and theses. (2016). AESS Publications. https://repository.ui.edu.ng/items/339f3b58-328c-4c5c-b599-2fcd28794980

Federal Republic of Nigeria. (2013). National policy on education (6th ed.). NERDC.