SYSTEMATIC ERRORS IN THE USE OF DEMONSTRTIVE ADJECTIVES BY NIGERIAN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF FRENCH

Abstract

This paper analyses some adjectival errors by the Nigerian undergraduate students of French. Various researchers have concentrated on the influence of first language on second language learners. In this study, it is the effect of the acquired second language on the third language that will be examined. The study is descriptive in nature. The research instruments adopted consist of questionnaire written by level III students of B.A. French at their linguistic immersion programme at Badagry, containing questions on French demonstrative adjectives. The analysis of the sample data relied on the theory of Interlanguage as promulgated by Corder (1973). The result of the work showed that the subjects of the study lack some fundamental knowledge on the use of gender, number and position of French demonstrative adjectives. It is also discovered that learners displayed relatively poor competence in the use of demonstrative adjectives in French due to error of overgeneralization of the rule, fossilization and poor mastery of the language. In the final analysis, most of the assumptions established by Corder (1973) on interlanguage by this study.