The Structure of Noun Phrase in Màda
Abstract
Màda, a Platoid language of West Benue-Congo sub-family, is spoken mainly in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. This paper is an attempt to examine the grammatical structures of noun phrase in Màda within the background of generative syntax, more specifically, the Principles and Parameters approach. It examines the order of noun dependents, word categories and other functional constituents of the NP such as demonstratives, modifiers and associative constituents. The technique employed in collecting data for this study is direct elicitation from competent speakers of the language. The major findings show that a typical NP in Màda may consist of a head noun only or a head noun with optionally occurring modifiers. All modifiers are post head items with a strictly ordered pattern. The study concludes by noting that the structural configuration of a typical NP in Màda is N + [(Poss)(Dem)(Adj)(Quant)(Num)] + [(Rel Clause)].
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