A GENDER- BASED STUDY OF INFLUENCE OF LUTSOTSO CONSONANTS ON PRONUNCIATION OF SELECTED ENGLISH CONSONANTS AMONG FORM ONE STUDENTS IN LURAMBI SUBCOUNTY, KENYA

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Lutsotso consonants on pronunciation of selected English consonants among Form One Students, learning English as a second language (ESL), in Lurambi Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya. The selected English language consonant sounds were: plosives /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, fricatives /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/ and affricates /t∫/, /ʤ/ only. The objectives of the study were to examine the influence of the Lutsotso consonants on pronunciation of selected English consonants, establish the impact of home environment on pronunciation of selected English consonants and establish the effect of gender on pronunciation of selected English consonants. The study was anchored on Larry Selinkers’ Transfer theory which states that: the learner’s first language will positively or negatively affect second language acquisition (SLA). A correlation research design was adopted to establish and describe the nature of the relationship that exists between independent variables and dependent variable. The study purposively sampled out nine mixed gender, public day secondary schools out of the thirteen schools in the Sub-County. The target population was seven hundred and twenty respondents, with a sample size of seventy two respondents’ selected using simple random sampling. For gender equality, a proportionate number of males and females were selected using proportionate stratified sampling using a proportionate of ten percent of the population of each school. The study collected data using dictation, an oral task and a questionnaire for the respondents. Qualitative data was analyzed descriptively whereas quantitative data was analyzed using inferential statistics where Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used. Data was presented in tables and charts, followed by an explanation. The findings were that Lutsotso consonant sounds affect the pronunciation of the selected English language plosives /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, fricatives /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/ and affricates/t∫/, /ʤ/. The sounds that exist in Lutsotso were simpler to articulate whereas those sounds that do not exist were quite difficult. The female gender was better than the male gender in oral task and dictation, however in general there is no significant difference. Respondents in rich literacy h ome environment performed better than those in low literacy home environment in oral task and dictation. The study would benefit teachers of English, learners, linguists and would add valuable knowledge to the field of African Phonology.