Syntactic analysis of numerals in English and Izhia: A minimalist approach

Abstract

This paper investigates the Izhia Numerals and those of the English language, and examines how the numerals in both languages could  enter into relationship with the nouns to form a determiner phrase. The study uses the Contrastive analysis and the minimalist program  as tools for identifying, predicting and generalizing functional and structural similarities and dissimilarities within the two languages  which may pose difficulties in second language learning or ease second language learning. Data used in this study were obtained  through oral interviews. Findings reveal that numerals in both languages are split into cardinal and ordinal and are functionally similar  but structurally dissimilar, as the English numerals occur only in pre-position in their DP system while in Izhia the reverse is the case as  the numerals appear in post-positions in their DP system. The study also reveals that there isco-occurrence of determiners in Izhia DP  with numerals which is not common in English. The study brings to the fore the fact that nouns can co-occur with cardinal numerals in  the two languages under discourse. On this premise, it is realized that the knowledge of the dissimilarities in the structures of the L1 and  the L2 can enhance proficiency and good performance in the teaching and learning of English language as a second language as far as  Izhia speakers of English are concerned.