1.

1 Background to the Study

There is a stereotype that takes for granted that a native speaker is by nature the best person to

teach his\her language. This assumption leaves little room for non-native teachers and inter-

language pragmatics (ILP). The study of the development and use of strategies for linguistic

action by non-native speaker (NNSs) has a peculiar status in second language research. The

English language teaching industry in East and south Asian, Africa and indeed Nigeria in

particular subscribe to an assumption that native English speaking teachers are the gold standard

of spoken and written language, whereas non-native English speaking teachers are inferior

educators because they lack these innate linguistic skills. Scholars such as Brown (2004) and

Kirkpatrick (2010) have identified a perspective in English language teaching profession that

native English-speakers are the ideal model for language production. This speech (the native

speaker’s) is held up as the gold standard of grammatical correctness and perfect pronunciation

Wang (2017). Conversely, Non-native English Speaking teachers (NESTs) tend to be positioned

as deficient speakers of the language with imperfect grammatical and pragmatic knowledge of

register (as relate to the field of specialization, environment and culture) and inferior knowledge

about foreign culture. This notion persists in the face of a rapidly expanding body of evidence to

the contrary (Mahboob and Hartford, 2004).

On the basis of the variables to be observed, this research attempts to provide a synthetic, lexical

and partially pragmatic description of one type of classroom language – the language used by the

teachers of English as a second language when addressing students at different levels of learning:

elementary, secondary and advanced. By comparing the syntactic and pragmatic properties

present in the non-native teacher language output at each level, the study tries to establish the

differences and similarities between each level, with a view to providing an identification of the
complexities or otherwise present in the language and in the pragmatic behavior of the teacher

that might lead to a reassessment of the ways in which teachers pitch their talk on different levels

in their effort to communicate with and be understood by their students.

1.4 Problem Statement

Most language teachers would probably have felt, at some time or other, the frustration

engendered by the realization that 3-4 years instruction in a second or foreign language at

school only produces students with at least, a limited knowledge of the language they have so

diligently tried to get them to learn or an intense desire to get through the final examination and

forget the language as quickly as possible. Research into the language teaching/learning process

has consistently attempted to tackle this problem by observing the main interacting variables: the

learner (OUTPUT); and the teacher (INPUT).

1.5 Aim and objectives of the Study

The main aim of this study is to analyze the variation in the speech of non-native teachers of

English teaching the language in a second a second language situation. To achieve this aim, the

following objectives are set to be assessed:

1. What are the characteristics of the language used in the classroom by the English

language teachers?

2. Examine and brig out the variation in the language use in second language teaching by

English language teachers at the three levels of study.

3. How do the language used by the Engish language teacher affects the understanding of

the learners.

1.6 Research Questions

The study intends to answer the following questions:

1. What are the characteristics of the language used by the teachers at the levels of primary,

secondary and tertiary education?

2. Are there any variations in the English used by the teachers at these levels of education?

3. How do the various forms of language affect the understanding of the learners?

1.7 Significance of the Study

Effective communication in any setting is determined by the linguistic ability possessed by the

individuals involved in a communication process. It is well known that the process by which

adjustments are made in natural discourses are not under the conscious control of the speaker but

they are the results of linguistic negotiation during the interaction, in which these unconscious

adjustments are made by the speaker in accordance with the perception of the interlocutors’

knowledge of the topic and proficiency in the language. Therefore, the findings of this research

has shown clearly that the speech of ESL teachers in the classroom affect the proficiency of the

second language learners. When the teacher does most of the talking, the learners become

observers rather than participants.

1.9 Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)

Teaching English as a second language refers to teaching English to students whose first

language is not English, usually offered in a region where English is the official language. The

term English as a second language (ESL) has been seen by some to indicate that English would

be of secondary importance especially where English is used as a second language. Teaching

English as a second language (ESL) is challenging as the teacher must constantly adapt to

student’s needs. Many times, this means dealing with a variety of problems in the classroom.

Since the 1960, there has been an increasing attempt in research of teaching and learning from

instruction to relate the major features of teacher and student behaviour in classrooms to learning

outcome. There has been extensive investigation into the type and quantities of instruction and

non-instructional tasks, the relative amount of participation by teacher and students and the

function and forms of language in interaction. There are a number of theoretical issues relating

to the teaching and learning of second language. One overriding issue in L2 research is the

ultimate value of second language instruction. This issue hinges on the degree to which L2 is

acquired through natural development and exposure to its meaningful social interaction. Since

the average L2 learner is seldom able to engage naturally and extensively in a target language

environment because the learner either lives in another country (not in the native language

country) or is isolated socially (classhirachy) or economically from full participation with L2

speakers, the potential value of instructional access to the L2 increases by default.

Languages are learned primarily for the purpose of communication, although the type of

communication in which learners might expect to engage using the foreign language are not

always the same, although some degree of communicative capacity over some domain of

possible uses of language is the expected out come and language teaching that did not achieve

this would be considered a failure. The term communication refers to any language activity in
which a message composed by one person can be received and understood by another. It also

encompasses reading and writing, as well as spoken interaction (Collinge, 2005). Generally

speaking, the language classroom is an artificial environment and one in which opportunities for

genuine communication in a second language rarely occur. Whatever takes place there is

intended to promote language learning and as such is unlikely to be something that is undertaken

for its real communicative value to the individual.

The context in which students are taught a second language widely varied, one of the basic

distinctions that is made by the language teaching profession is between what are termed foreign

language and second language situations, for example, English as a foreign language (EFL) and

English as a second language (ESL). In foreign language learning (FLL), the language in

question has no social or educational function in the society in which it is being taught. For

reason of educational policy, it forms part of the curriculum but the learner will have no contact

with the language outside the time table hour ( that is, outside the school setting), which means

that the language is only spoken to the students in the classroom by the teacher , and it ends

there, for example, French in Nigeria. The approach to language teaching will have to take

account of the lack of external support for the language; example is the teaching of French in

most Nigerian schools. By contrast, in second language learning (SLL), use of language is not

confined to the language classroom, it may be the medium of instruction for other parts of the

curriculum, it may be used in the media, may have specialized functions within the society or

may actually be the normal language of communications. The teaching of English language in

Nigeria is an example. Therefore, any approach to teaching must take account of the extent to

which the language can be expected to take place outside the language classroom and of the

exact role of language teaching in a given circumstance.

In recent years, there has been a very rapid expansion in the teaching of languages for specific

purpose (LSP). The demand has been most striking in the case of English language (ESP). This

stem from the growing use of English as an international language. English is seen as the

language which gives access to education and technology; it serves as a common means of

communication in international trade and commerce and is used as lingua franca by people who

otherwise do not share the same language.