EBONYI JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE
EJLLS Publication
EJLLS| Title: | Descriptive Syntax of Yes-No Questions in Ikwo-Igbo Language |
| Author(s): | J. Anene NWANKWEGU & Goodluck Chigbo NWODE |
| Abstract: | Two forms of yes-no questions have been identified in Igbo syntax. The first pertains to sentences with personal pronouns as subject, in which case the inherent high tone [+h] on the pronoun is changed to low tone [-h] in order to convert it to yes-no question. The second form pertains to sentences having subjects other than personal pronouns, in which case the subject is moved to the left periphery of the sentence, leaving a ghost of itself in its original position in form of resumptive pronoun. This study examines the syntax of yes-no questions in Ikwo, a dialect of Igbo spoken in Ebonyi State. The aim is to establish the extent to which the above syntactic analysis of the standard Igbo yes-no questions is consistent with that of Ikwo dialect. The dialect is seen to pattern neither of the two formats known in Igbo. An initial element ‘? d?’, which we refer to as a ‘yes-no question initiator’ marks the Ikwo yes-no questions. A simple descriptive approach is adopted in analysing the study data. |
| Keywords: | descriptive, syntax, yes-no, ikwo. igbo |
