NOUN PHRASE PATTERNS IN ENGLISH AND TAROK: A CONTRASTIVE LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS

This study presents a descriptive and contrastive analysis of noun phrase (NP) structures in English and Tarok with a view to examining their implications for English as a Second Language (ESL) pedagogy in Nigeria. The motivation for the study stems from the multilingual nature of Nigerian classrooms where learners’ first languages (L1s) significantly influence second language (L2) acquisition. Drawing on data elicited from bilingual Tarok speakers and standard English grammatical descriptions, the study analyzes five grammatical domains: determiners and definiteness, plurality marking, modifier ordering, possessive constructions, and NP expansion. Findings reveal major structural divergences between English and Tarok NPs, including the absence of articles in Tarok, non-morphological plural marking, post-nominal modification, and juxtaposition-based possession. These contrasts align with ESL learner difficulties documented in the literature and highlight the relevance of L1 transfer, interlanguage development, and form-focused instruction. The study highlights the pedagogical valuable of contrastive insights for ESL teacher in preparation, curriculum planning, instructional materials development, and assessment within the Nigerian context. The study also contributes to minority language research by extending applied linguistic scholarship beyond major Nigerian languages. It concludes that teacher education systems should integrate applied linguistic perspectives to support multilingual learner profiles and recommends further empirical studies on learner performance and instructional interventions.

Keywords: Contrastive analysis; noun phrase; Tarok language; English as a Second Language (ESL)