Browsing by Author "Amaechi, Mary"
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Item Acquisition of Yoruba Bare Nouns(Faculty of Languages & Linguistics, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 2016) Arokoyo, Bolanle Elizabeth; Amaechi, MaryThis study is concerned with the acquisition of bare nouns by children acquiring Yoruba as their first language. The Minimalist Programme serves as the framework for our syntactic analysis of development of bare nouns by the Yoruba child. The database consists of longitudinal studies of a Yoruba child, Damilare, between the ages of fifteen (15) and thirty six (36) months. He was audio recorded daily by his mother within the period. Some of the data were also written directly. The results show that from a very early stage, the Yoruba child begins to acquire bare nouns as compared to other types of nouns and these nouns occur in different positions. It can be concluded that they use bare nouns where other types of nouns should be used but, with time, other nominal expressions are developed and are used appropriately.Item Aspects of the Structure of the Determiner Phrase in Igbo2014(Department of Linguistics, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, 2014) Amaechi, MaryItem A contrastive study of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba consonants(Department of French, University of Ilorin, 2019) Adekeye, Bolanle; Na'Allah, Abdullahi; Amaechi, MaryItem Grammatical Structures in Yoruba-Igbo Code-Switching(Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, University of Ilorin, 2014) Amaechi, MaryItem On optional wh-/focus fronting in Igbo: A SYN-SEM-PHON interaction(De Gruyter, 2020) Amaechi, Mary; Georgi, DoreenThis paper discusses surface optionality in focus fronting in the Benue- Congo language Igbo. A focused XP can occur in-situ or ex-situ. We argue that the optionality does not have its origins in the syntax: in fact, exactly one focused XP has to move to the designated focus position in the left periphery in the syntax. The alternation between in-situ and ex-situ rather arises at PF: either the lowest or the topmost copy of the focus chain is pronounced. The choice is determined by semantic-pragmatic factors, i. e., we see an interaction between PF and LF. This constitutes a challenge for a strict version of the Y-model of grammar.Item Quirks of subject (non-)extraction in Igbo(Ubiquity Presss, 2019) Amaechi, Mary; Georgi, DoreenIn this paper we present new data on a subject/non-subject extraction asymmetry in Igbo constituent questions. We provide evidence that the superficially morphological phenomenon reflects a deeper syntactic asymmetry: Unlike wh-non-subjects, wh-subjects cannot undergo local -movement to the left periphery (SpecFoc); rather, they have to stay in their canonical position SpecT. The same constraint also leads to the that-trace effect (absence of the complementizer) in the embedded clause of long subject wh-movement. We argue that what is responsible for the special status of wh-subjects is their high structural position. We provide an optimality-theoretic analysis of the asymmetry that is based on anti-locality: Local subject -movement is excluded because it is too short. Moreover, we address the nature of apparent wh-in-situ in Igbo.Item A Re-visit of Symmetrical Verbs Constructions and Abstract Case Marking in Selected African Languages(Linguistic Association of Nigeria, 2016) Amaechi, MaryItem Resultative Serial Verb Constructions in Igbo: A Minimalist Approach(National Institute for Nigerian Languages, Aba, 2015) Sanusi, Issa O.; Amaechi, MaryItem The Syntax of Po Tangle Numerals(Institute of Language, Sejong University, Seoul, 2014) Amaechi, MaryThis paper examines the endangered numerals of Po Tangle [taŋglɛ], a minority language spoken in four local government areas in Gombe State, north eastern Nigeria. The emphasis is on the cardinal whole numbers. The study explores the structure of complex numerals which are derived from simple lexical ones using syntactic coordination and complementation. The study adopts the packing strategy framework of Hurford (1975, 1987, 2003, 2007). This framework adopted applies very widely to numeral systems that uses syntactic constructions to signal multiplication and addition. It is found out that there is no overt marker for multiplicative arithmetic operation but there are two distinct markers for additive arithmetic operation, salai and ka, while the former is used for lower complex numerals in the base of ten, the latter is found in higher complex numerals of bases hundred and thousand.Item Yes-no question formation in Igbo: The phono-syntax interface(West African Linguistic Society, 2018) Amaechi, MaryThe low tone on Igbo pronouns has been argued to be used to initiate yes-no questions. This paper describes the derivation of this low tone. The paper argues that the low tone on singular subject pronoun in Igbo yes-no questions is a relic of the question particle a found in the plural counterpart. With yes-no questions involving singular subject DP, the question particle a is not found, but the low tone on the question particle re-links to the preceding subject pronoun in the singular. This interrogative tone that is retained forces the high tone on the preceding subject pronoun to be deleted and takes over by being the tone on the pronoun on the singular subject DP. It is discovered that the Igbo interrogative head attracts clitic pronouns. Following Rizzi (1997; 2001) and Aboh (2004; 2010) analyses of the C-system, it is argued that the question particle a is being hosted by the interrogative force that is associated with the Into which is the head of the IntP.