THE GRAMMAR OF YEAR-ONE STUDENTS IN SELECTED NIGERIAN POLYTECHNICS: AN INTERLANGUAGE APPROACH

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of social media language on the grammatical performance of students in selected Nigerian polytechnics. Guided by Interlanguage Theory, the research analyzed a corpus of 619 essays written by ND I students across three polytechnics in Northern Nigeria. The data were systematically examined through error classification tables, frequency counts, and correlation analysis to identify patterns of grammatical deviation. Findings from the analysis revealed recurring errors in subject-verb agreement, verb tense usage, article omission, adjective misplacement, prepositional errors, and spelling mistakes. Abbreviations such as “ur,” “gr8,” and “txt,” alongside code-switching between Hausa, Pidgin, and English, were especially frequent. For example, missing punctuation occurred 312 times, while incorrect constructions like “She go to market” appeared 1,450 times, highlighting how informal digital habits shaped formal writing. Quantitative results further demonstrated a negative correlation between social media use and grammar performance. Students classified as heavy users (4+ hours daily) scored an average of 9.5 out of 20 with a 68% incidence of spelling errors, while light users (<2 hours) achieved higher scores (15.1) and fewer spelling errors (23%). These outcomes confirm that increased exposure to informal digital communication undermines grammatical accuracy. Qualitative insights reinforced this, showing that although students valued the expressive freedom of social media, many acknowledged difficulties in shifting from informal to academic registers. The study concludes that social media influences interlanguage development through transfer, overgeneralization, and fossilization, and recommends curriculum reforms emphasizing explicit grammar teaching, digital literacy, and corrective feedback to strengthen academic writing skills.