Understanding the Effects of L1 Oracy Skill on Phonological Awareness among Yoruba Beginner Readers

Abstract

One of the major baggage that beginner readers in second language take into literacy lessons is oracy in the first language. Using the Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis, this paper aims at examining the effects of Yoruba oracy skills on Yoruba phonological awareness among beginner readers in order to have an empirical understanding of how oracy skills affect literacy development. The study conducted Yoruba phonological awareness test for 147 Basic One pupils using the adapted form of Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board’s phonological assessment tool. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings show that oracy in Yoruba enhances word awareness in the language while syllable, onset-rime and phonemic awareness are dormant in Yoruba beginner readers prior to literacy instructions in the language. The study recommends investigating influences of oracy on other metalinguistic abilities like morphological and syntactic awareness.