A Sociolinguistic Study of Semantic Interference Among Yoruba-English Bilingual Secondary School Teachers in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State

This research work investigated sociolinguistic study of semantic interference among Yoruba English bilingual secondary school teachers considering the semantic arrangement of English language as it has to reflect its new home and describe new concepts which the language, in its original form, may lack linguistic resources to express. The concept of interference is one of the features of bilingualism and multilingualism as Nigeria and most African countries are bilingual or multilingual countries. The concept of interference refers to deviation from the norms of either language which occur in the speech of bilinguals as a result of their familiarity with more than one language. It also implies a re-arrangement of patterns that result from the introduction of foreign elements into the more highly- structured domains of language such as the bulk of the phonemic system, a large part of the morphology and syntax, and some areas of vocabulary, Culture and discourse (Weinreich, 1974). This study explicated that domestication of English language through interference is not an aberration since it conveys meaning in the context of usage and agree with the grammar of the language. It also asserted that Nigerian English is a variation that reflects the experiences of Nigerians as they have to use the language to explain what they have conceptualized in their indigenous languages and revealed the aesthetic creation of new English words drawn from the rich repertoire of the Yoruba lexicon.