Contrastive Analysis of Personal Pronouns in English and Nupe Languages: Implications for ESL learners

Abstract

The paper presents a contrastive analysis of personal pronouns in English and Nupe languages with the aim of identifying some of the problems learners face when learning English as a second language in general. Although the analysis carried out is between English and Nupe languages, the findings of this study could apply to other Nigerian learners of English who ‘must’ learn the language to enable them gain access to different fields of life as well as communicate globally with people from different shades of life. Some of the problems identified in this study include gender distinction involving personal pronouns, use of objective case of personal pronouns, agreement between personal pronouns and their subjects, formation of interrogative sentences using personal pronouns among others. Recommendations offered include reviewing and modifying English text books to address the peculiar needs of Nigerian learners, adequately exposing learners to the language through constant repetition and drills, ensuring a child-centred curriculum by considering the learners’ background experiences.