Developments in generative grammar and their applications to the study of language in Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to highlight how developments in generative grammar have been applied to the study of Nigerian languages. Serious attempts to incorporate developments in generative grammar in the analysis of Nigerian languages started in the 1970s. The trend has been progressive. Indeed, very recent formulations in the spirit of Universal Grammar {UG} can be found in studies of languages in Nigeria. Aspects of the principles of UG are upheld by Nigrian languages, justifying the contention that the knowledge of language is human species specific.

There is, however, the observation that language scholarship in Nigeria has not advanced beyond a test of theoretical constructs. There are, for instance, no major efforts to link language studies in Nigeria to computational linguistics. There is also no direct comment on the requirements for language acquisition. These are major promises of the reductionist tendency
of UG.