The Influence of Mother Tongue Interference on German Pronunciation Among Igbo-Speaking Students

This study investigates the influence of Igbo as a mother tongue on the German pronunciation patterns of undergraduate students studying German at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, South East geopolitical zone. Phonological interference, whereby features of a learner's first language disrupt the acquisition of target language sounds, is a well-documented phenomenon in second language acquisition research. However, specific studies examining Igbo-German phonological interference in Nigerian academic contexts remain scarce. The study adopts a descriptive linguistic design, using structured oral reading tasks and recorded speech samples from 60 first-year German language students with Igbo as their dominant mother tongue. Recordings were analysed by two trained phonologists using a standardised error classification framework. Findings reveal consistent patterns of mispronunciation in specific German phonemes, particularly umlauts, the voiced fricative, and certain consonant clusters that lack equivalents in Igbo phonology. The study identifies vowel nasalisation and consonant devoicing as particularly persistent interference effects. Recommendations include the introduction of systematic phonological training modules in the early stages of German language instruction, with targeted exercises designed to address Igbo-specific interference patterns. The study makes a methodological contribution to contrastive analysis research and provides practical guidance for German language teachers in Igbo-majority communities. Keywords: mother tongue interference, German pronunciation, Igbo, phonology, second language acquisition.