Reducing Alienation in Foreign Language Acquisition: A Contrastive Analysis of Diacritical Marks in French and Nigerian Indigenous Languages (Yorùbá as a Case Study)—Pedagogical Insights
Document Type
Presentation
Location
436 Hodges / Zoom Room B
Start Date
28-3-2025 12:45 PM
End Date
28-3-2025 1:05 PM
Description
In Nigeria, like in any other Anglophone African country, French remains a foreign language, unlike a mother tongue like the Yorùbá language that is acquired from home. Nigerian learners of French language get in contact with the language in schools. In their attempt to learn the language, they are confronted with numerous linguistic challenges, and one of these problems lies in the mastery of French diacritical marks (accent marks), which are absent in the language of instruction, English. Despite the existence of diacritical marks in Nigerian indigenous languages, learners often struggle to acquire and use French accents correctly.
In order to reduce the alienation students encounter while acquiring French accents, this paper conducts a contrastive analysis of accent marks in Yorùbá and French by examining the use of accents in both languages. The results reveal that while diacritical marks primarily indicate tone and meaning in Yorùbá, they serve phonetic and semantic purposes in French. Despite the differences, we believe the existence of accent marks in both languages can facilitate the acquisition of French accents in Yorùbá French learners. Leveraging the students’ familiarity with Yoruba diacritical marks, this paper proposes strategic pedagogical approaches to reduce alienation, enhance linguistic competence, preserve linguistic and cultural identity, and promote the appreciation of the two languages.
Reducing Alienation in Foreign Language Acquisition: A Contrastive Analysis of Diacritical Marks in French and Nigerian Indigenous Languages (Yorùbá as a Case Study)—Pedagogical Insights
436 Hodges / Zoom Room B
In Nigeria, like in any other Anglophone African country, French remains a foreign language, unlike a mother tongue like the Yorùbá language that is acquired from home. Nigerian learners of French language get in contact with the language in schools. In their attempt to learn the language, they are confronted with numerous linguistic challenges, and one of these problems lies in the mastery of French diacritical marks (accent marks), which are absent in the language of instruction, English. Despite the existence of diacritical marks in Nigerian indigenous languages, learners often struggle to acquire and use French accents correctly.
In order to reduce the alienation students encounter while acquiring French accents, this paper conducts a contrastive analysis of accent marks in Yorùbá and French by examining the use of accents in both languages. The results reveal that while diacritical marks primarily indicate tone and meaning in Yorùbá, they serve phonetic and semantic purposes in French. Despite the differences, we believe the existence of accent marks in both languages can facilitate the acquisition of French accents in Yorùbá French learners. Leveraging the students’ familiarity with Yoruba diacritical marks, this paper proposes strategic pedagogical approaches to reduce alienation, enhance linguistic competence, preserve linguistic and cultural identity, and promote the appreciation of the two languages.