Assessing the Impact of Language Diversity in Interpersonal Communication in Case of Second and Third Year English Language and Literature Students of Bule Hora University
Yonas Yohannes KoyraThis study dealt with assessing the gap of interpersonal communication among students resulted from diversified language background focused on Bule Hora University second and third year English Language and Literature Students in 2020 G. C. academic year. Students in university need to have good interpersonal communication skills particularly oral communication which takes place in face-to-face interaction through words of the mouth. Ethiopia has multi languages and how it may affect oral interpersonal communication skills of students is the gap to fulfill this study. The research used descriptive research designs both qualitative and quantitative methods. Questionnaire, observation, and focus group discussion tools were employed to gather the data. Totally there are 44 students all of them participated in data gathering process by available sampling technique. The findings of the study indicated that interpersonal communication among Blue Hora University students of English language and literature department mainly affected by diverse language background. The participants have better understanding about interpersonal communication, but they face a great challenge to implement it with any students who have diversified language in the campus except those who use identical mother tongue incase interpersonal communication especially oral communication is highly influenced by language diversity. Students’ preference to communicate a person as well as the language resulted in language barrier which resulted malfunction in oral communication. The study reveals that there is a communication breakdown among students who came from different language background Therefore, they mightn’t made mutual relationships among students and also there were misunderstanding and misinterpretation among themselves. In case of that they missed knowledge and techniques to solve problems together with different students; this resulted in limitation of knowledge. Actually student students have no lack of knowledge of interpersonal communication, personal problem, and culture difference, but language diverse greatly affected their interpersonal communication particularly oral communication.