6 research outputs found
Tense and aspect in Lamnsoʹ
No full textYuka (1997) has identified three broad tenses in Lamnso’2. A closer look at these tenses and their specification of time reference willreveal a more complex tense structure of multiple past and future timeallusions that distinguish different degrees of remoteness to the pastand future tense categories. This paper seeks to determine the variousdegrees of remoteness to a given tense category exhibited in Lamnso’. This paper investigates the relative relationship(s) between a tense marker that denotes the time of an action and the time reference preceding or following that action within the clause. It also examines aspect, interpreted as the way of conceiving the flow of an event (Comrie, 1976). This study identifies seven tense forms for Lamnso’ (P3, P2, P1, P0, F1, F2 and F3.), which specify time distinctions from the remote past (P3) to the remote future (F3)) and three aspect forms. These ten tense and aspect forms combine with distinctive tones and time adverbials to derive a time reference structure whose cut-off points are sometimes fluid and non-rigid
OPERATIVE RELATIONS IN THE LAMNSO' CLAUSE
No full textA Ph.D Thesis submitted to the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
On Monolingual Dictionaries and Child Language Development
No full textAmfani (2008) ignites a very interesting child language development debate. He argues that “… colonial interference in the natural affairs of Africans has been the major factor responsible for the type of communication disorder he refers to as ‘lexical starvation’ experienced by the modern African child with respect to the acquisition of the mother tongue lexicon”. He argues that the dearth of monolingual dictionaries for African languages play a prominent role in promoting and sustaining this type of communication disorder. He advocates for the development of monolingual dictionaries to stem “… the chaotic nature of language acquisition by the modern African child.” In this paper we set out to discuss a few of Amfani’s exciting claims about the lexicon, the dictionary, second language acquisition, child language acquisition and child language development. We argue that the lexicon of any language is open and expands as the physical and emotional experience of its speakers develop; that no (normal) human being can possibly internalize the ‘complete’ lexicon of his language; that the lexicon is as dynamic as is the language, capable of employing lexical and syntactic computations to express the knowledge of the competent language speaker; that lexical dearth is the onset of language dearth generally triggered by relevance depreciation; that dictionaries (bilingual or monolingual) are more a means of language documentation and preservation than an enhancement tool of language acquisition
Neologism and Dual Gender Status
No full textWazobia, the name of the female king in Tess Onwueme’s play The Reign of Wazobia, is a neologism derived from Yorùbá, Igbó, and Hausa respectively, the three dominant languages in Nigeria. Motivated by the relevance of Onwueme’s lexical selection and the socio-political contexts in which the play is set, the essay relies on pragmatic contexts of language usage to analyse the coinage of the name to ascertain whether it dramatizes a political attempt to advocate unity between the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. The essay also interrogates Wazobia’s dual gender status, and the feminist implications of the fact that she does not rule as a woman but as either a man or an androgynous figure. Wazobia’s dual gender and the illegal extension of her three-year regency raise a number of questions, some of which appear to contradict Onwueme’s well-articulated feminist stance. The essay shows that the neologism of Wazobia is largely restricted to a feminist stance, canvassing intra-gender unity among all Nigerian women as a prerequisite for attaining power and emergence into politics and spaces of leadership. Wazobia’s gender duality is interpreted as Onwueme’s rejection of gender-associated restrictions. This dual status also embodies socio-political implications for unity in the male/female divide, and the Igbóo/Hausa/Yorùbá division. The work interprets the favourable treatment of Wazobia’s tyranny as Onwueme’s feminist bias and political aspirations for women.</jats:p
Current Research in African Linguistics Papers in Honor of Ọladele Awobuluyi
No full textCurrent Research in African Linguistics recognizes and honors Ọladele Awobuluyi's contributions to African linguistics. The contributors, an international group of scholars, represent four generations of African linguists who have been influenced by Awobuluyi's work as a scholar and teacher. The papers are organized into three thematic sections, namely applied linguistics and sociolinguistics; phonology and morphology; and syntax and semantics and their interfaces. The wide range of topics investigated in this volume will enhance the reader's understanding of current issues in the field of African linguistics today. Indeed, the book marks an important contribution to the expanding work on language documentation and comparative linguistics by presenting data and linguistic analysis from a number of different African languages.Intro -- Contents -- Profile of Oladele Awobuluyi -- Foreword -- Curriculum Vitae of Oladele Awobuluyi -- Introduction -- Part I: Applied and Socio-linguistics -- Chapter One -- Chapter Two -- Chapter Three -- Chapter Four -- Chapter Five -- Chapter Six -- Part II: Phonology and Morphology -- Chapter Seven -- Chapter Eight -- Chapter Nine -- Chapter Ten -- Part III: Syntax and Semantics -- Chapter Eleven -- Chapter Twelve -- Chapter Thirteen -- Chapter Fourteen -- Chapter Fifteen -- Chapter Sixteen -- Chapter Seventeen -- Chapter Eighteen -- Chapter Nineteen -- Chapter Twenty -- Chapter Twenty One -- ContributorsCurrent Research in African Linguistics recognizes and honors Ọladele Awobuluyi's contributions to African linguistics. The contributors, an international group of scholars, represent four generations of African linguists who have been influenced by Awobuluyi's work as a scholar and teacher. The papers are organized into three thematic sections, namely applied linguistics and sociolinguistics; phonology and morphology; and syntax and semantics and their interfaces. The wide range of topics investigated in this volume will enhance the reader's understanding of current issues in the field of African linguistics today. Indeed, the book marks an important contribution to the expanding work on language documentation and comparative linguistics by presenting data and linguistic analysis from a number of different African languages.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
