The Logophoric Pronoun in the Ìlàjẹ Dialect of Yoruba
Keywords:
Logophor, antecedent, Ìlàjẹ Yoruba, long distance anaphorAbstract
While previous studies in Yoruba have associated logophoricity with òun, a third person singular pronoun form, there is scarcely any further detailed analysis on the implication of such features on the entire pronoun system. This paper, therefore, examined òghun the attested form of this logophoric pronoun in the Ìlàjẹ dialect of Yoruba with a view to describing its place in the pronominal system of the dialect. The research was based on the data from Ìlàjẹ native speakers from towns in Ìlàjẹ local government area, Ondo State. Relevant aspects of the data were extracted and analysed syntactically in basic descriptive terms. A pronominal form, òghun, is identified as the logophor in Ìlàjẹ, having established its pronominal status as a structurally constrained third person singular pronoun in a reported speech construction. The paper reviewed Ìlàjẹ pronominal system by incorporating therein òghun, the logophoric pronoun in the pronoun paradigm.
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