A Sociolinguistic Study of Asmara University Freshmen 1985/86

Tecle Ghebremuse 
(Eritrea Institute of Technology, Mai Nefhi, Eritrea)

Abstract: This study examines Asmara University freshmen’s mother tongue distribution, sex, age group, language background, their families’ educational background, languages wished to be learned, attributes of the first three most preferred languages, uses of mother tongue and other Ethiopian and foreign languages in different domains and with different people, these freshmen’s attitudes towards English, their motivational reasons for learning English and their degree of control in the four language skills. Finally, the effects of the sociolinguistic items of information and their implications are considered and conclusions have been drawn from the statements discussed in this study.

Key words: mother tongue distribution, language background, motivational reasons for learning English