The Grammar of Adposition in English and Ịzọn

The standard of students’ use of English is exacerbating by the day, even though the English language serves as the language of instruction at all levels of Nigerian educational system. Although, various causative factors have been identified, this study considers parametric JHSP JHSP JHSP variations between English and indigenous languages as one of the factors hindering students’ proficiency in English. Thus, this study examines the grammar of adposition in English and Ịzọn languages to ascertain the variations there are that could affect the learning of the English language. The study employed Chomsky’s Minimalist Program (MP) and Robert Lados’s Contrastive Analysis (CA) and used the descriptive design. It noted that whenever the systems of learners’ L1 and those of the target language are conflicting, there is bound to be a learning problem. This corroborates the core assumptions of CA that the differences between the systems and patterns of learners’ L1 and those of the target language will trigger transfers of learners’ L1 systems into the target language. The study carefully examined the behaviour of adpositions in English and in Ịzọn by juxtaposing structures in order to ascertain the areas of dissimilarities affecting the Ịzọn English learners. The study discovered that there is a structural variation in the grammar of adposition. The adpositions occur at the right side after the object in Ịzọn constructions, while the adpositions in the English constructions precede the objects of the constructions. This difference is a major challenge to the Ịzọn English learners.