Abstract

With the great development of China's economy, and the globalization of China, more and more Nigerian students have begun to cultivate interest in learning Chinese language. Many seek to study Chinese in Nigeria or study aboard especially in China, with the goal of learning Chinese, cross-cultural understandings, achieve personal academic goals, or obtain personal independence. For Nigerian students of Igbo origin, there are lots of problems they tend to encounter in the process of learning Chinese language. Through critical analysis, this paper finds out the influence of Igbo language on Chinese language learners of Igbo origins, and some challenges encountered in learning Chinese language which includes; pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, Chinese character writing, and so on. According to the results of this survey, both positive interference and negative interference exist in the process of learning Chinese. Igbo language has both positive and negative effects on Chinese learners. This study also puts forward effective teaching and learning strategies for students and teachers, and theoretical suggestions for further enriching and improving Teaching Chinese Language in Nigeria. This study is quite significant as it will enrich the research on Chinese teaching, improve the Chinese level of students, provide beneficial help for the mutual translation of Chinese and Igbo, promote cultural exchanges between China and Igbo people of Nigeria, and facilitate economic and trade development.