Communicative and Speech Challenges of Teaching, Learning and Speaking French as a Foreign Language in Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a West African Country surrounded mostly by francophone countries like Niger in the North, Cameroun and Chad in the East and the Republic of Benin in the West. French is an international language spoken by these surrounding countries. However, in 1996, French became one of Nigeria’s official languages, having been so declared by the then Head of the Nigerian government, the late General Sani Abacha. The dominant and main official language in Nigeria remains the English Language. Since the introduction of French as the second official language in Nigeria, so many spirited efforts have been made to promote it as an instrument of communication, trade and international diplomacy. In other words, French has developed to become a language of technology, communication, entertainment, science and business. It is also not irrelevant in other forms of international interactions. Hence, there is the need for the Nigerian learner and speaker of French to acquire an acceptable standard form of it, if the Nigerian society is to function effectively and remain germane in the present day world. Generally, the Nigerian learner and speaker of French tend to re-interpret French stress patterns in terms of tones in relation to his indigenous language. This is a communicative and speech challenge to the average Nigerian. To facilitate the Nigerian learner and speaker’s communicative skills in the class and in other diverse contexts, these communicative and speech challenges must be addressed. It is also a known fact that a good number of French learners and speakers in Anglophone communities have difficulties in even following television or radio programmes telecast or broadcast in French. This paper, therefore, identifies problems in learning and spoken French as associated with phonetic and phonological perspectives of the French language. It will also centre on how to articulate difficult sounds in French language. The work suggests possible ways of alleviating pronunciation problems like speech sound interference, articulatory and fluency disorders for the purpose of ensuring proficiency in the teaching, learning and speaking of French language.

Keywords: Teaching Learning Speaking French

Author

• Miriam Stephen Inegbe
  Department of English,
  Akwa Ibom State University