An Analysis of English Vowel Pronunciation Errors Among Hausa L1 Speakers in Kano State

Phonological interference from a first language is a well-documented challenge in second language pronunciation acquisition, and Hausa speakers learning English encounter specific vowel contrasts absent from the Hausa phonological system. This study analyses English vowel pronunciation errors made by Hausa L1 speakers enrolled in Senior Secondary Schools in Kano State, focusing on the front vowel distinctions and the schwa-full vowel contrast. Data were collected through a diagnostic pronunciation task in which sixty participants read aloud a list of minimal pairs and a connected speech passage, with responses recorded and subjected to auditory and spectrographic analysis. Error patterns were classified using a contrastive analysis framework supplemented by recent error analysis approaches from L2 phonology research. Results indicate that the most frequent errors involve the conflation of the DRESS and TRAP vowels and the consistent substitution of a full vowel for schwa in unstressed syllables, a pattern directly attributable to Hausa's syllable-weight sensitivity system. Errors are more frequent in connected speech than in isolated word reading, suggesting that processing demands amplify phonological interference. The study recommends targeted pronunciation instruction in Kano State secondary schools that draws on knowledge of Hausa phonological structure to anticipate and address specific error types. A pedagogical error hierarchy is proposed as a practical classroom resource. The findings contribute to the descriptive phonology of Hausa-English interlanguage in northern Nigeria. Keywords: vowel errors, Hausa L1, pronunciation, interlanguage phonology, Kano State.