SYNTACTIC BEHAVIOUR OF INTERROGATIVE WORDS IN OWERE IGBO

Abstract

The study which is a descriptive approach adopted a template for the empirical analysis of the classification of interrogative words in Owere Igbo based on collected data; to establish their syntactic wh-movement in the language using Government and Binding (GB) theory. Results from the analysed data revealed the semantic affinity characteristic of their individual syntactic behaviour in question constructions which are of six types namely: group 1 [òléē +NP?] ‘where?’; group 2 [kpóólē?, ǹdáà?, ọ̀líà?,àgháā?]‘How?’; group 3 [ǹkéōlé?] ‘which?’; group 4 [òlé] ‘How many?’, ‘How much?’; group 5 [nínī?] ‘What?’; group 6 [ònyè] ‘Who?’. The classification of interrogatives in Owere Igbo revealed that it differs from other languages like English and Yoruba which have obligatory syntactic movement.