Abstract
The aim of the study is to determine the native language interference on the spoken English of Igala students in some selected schools in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State. It aims at identifying the areas in spoken English where the interference of mother-tongue takes place. It also carries out a systematic inquiry into the differences between the phonemic systems of the Igala language and English against the background of similarities, with the purpose of providing recommendations that will help tackle or minimize phonological errors among Igala students. In order to determine the likely areas in spoken English that are problematic to the subjects during communicative events, oral tests, textbooks, and online textual materials were used. Primary data were obtained from oral test conducted among twenty (20) students from Our Lady of Schools, Anyigb and Secondary Commercial College, Anyigba. Two classes were used in each of these schools: SS1 and SS3. The Theoretical Frameworks used for the study were Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) and Behaviourist Theory of Language Acquisition and Learning. While CAH compares two or more languages in order to determine both the differences and similarities between them, the Behaviourist Theory of Language Acquisition and Learning explains the nature of some learners’ performance in a second language and accounts for reasons why they speak the way they do. The finding shows that the Igala language lacks certain English sounds, hence the mother-tongue interference on the spoken English among Igala students. It also shows that native language interference hampers the students’ fluency, intelligibility and mastery of the English language.