Sentential Negation in Igala Language
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Date
2025-04
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Department of Lingustics and Foreign Languages Bayero University Kano
Abstract
Being a universal phenomenon, the derivation of negation is productive, in that there are unique ways by which this process is derived cross linguistically thereby showcasing the parametricity as far as our theoretical framework, Principle and Parameter Theory (PPT) is concerned. This uniqueness in its derivation triggers our interest in exploring the syntax of negative constructions in Igala language with a view to identify the main negative markers, their distribution properties and their variants in different sentences in Igala language.
Data for the study were elicited from among the Igálà native speakers in Dèkínà Local Government of Kogi State. The data were collected through observation and interview. We made use of KWASU word list, syntactic paradigm with structured sentences. The data were then analysed within the theoretical framework of the Government and Binding Theory (GB) also known as Principles and Parameters Theory (PPT).
We observed that Igálà language attests a discontinuous negative morpheme, "high tone...nóò. the two are inseparable in that we can't have high tone alone or nóò alone in Igala negative sentence. We also observed that the other variants of the marker function differently across the difference sentences in Igala language. Finally,
negation is a wide syntactic process that cuts across a good number of syntactic processes in syntax such as: double object construction, tense and aspect, serial verbal construction etc.
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Aiyelabegan N.B. (2025). Sentential Negation in Igala. Bayero Journal of Linguistics Vol. 11 No.1