A Comparative Description of Affixation Processes in English and Yoruba for ESL Pedagogy

Abstract

This study describes the affixation processes involved in English and Yoruba word formation systems with the aim of identifying areas of differences and similarities for pedagogic implications. All languages have their systems of arranging words (morphology) to form sentences which are ultimately used to express and communicate information. The study is premised on the contrastive analysis hypothesis which postulates that similarities between the two languages will cause no difficulties (‘positive transfer’), but differences will, due to ‘negative transfer’ (or ‘interference’). Analyses of English and Yoruba derivational and inflectional processes of affixation reveal that the English language offers itself to both prefixation and suffixation morphological processes but the Yoruba language lends itself to morphemic prefixation only in its word formation. This is significant in second language learning as it implies that ESL teachers could use these areas of contrasts and similarities as effective teaching devices to teach and correct interference errors among learners.