Nominal phrases in Longuda

Abstract

This scholarly endeavor delves into a thorough investigation of nominal phrases in Longuda, a minority indigenous Nigerian language belonging to the Adamawa Eastern group of the Niger-Congo language family and spoken by approximately 100,000 individuals in the Guyuk area of Adamawa State, North-East Nigeria. The primary objective of this study is to elucidate the intricate syntactic structure and functions of nominal phrases within the Longuda language. Our findings showcase the multifaceted nature of nominal phrases in Longuda, encompassing diverse constituents ranging from an array of determiners to other subordinate phrases that nominal phrases subcategorize for in their linguistic domain. The determiner category comprises articles, qualifiers, deictics, numerals, and various other elements. Within the syntactic landscape of Longuda, nominal phrases find themselves occupying distinct positions, including subject (S), direct object (DO), and indirect object (IO) positions. Additionally, these phrases accommodate other components such as adjective phrases and prepositional phrases (PP), which augment the richness of the language's expressive capacity. Furthermore, this study sheds light on the pivotal role nominal phrases play in various transformational processes within Longuda, specifically focusing on constructions for emphasis and relativization. By unraveling the syntactic intricacies of nominal phrases in Longuda, this research offers a deeper understanding of the language's structure, making it an invaluable resource for linguists and scholars interested in the intricate nuances of this unique indigenous language.