The morpho-syntax of -<i>mọ́</i> in Izọ́n

Abstract

It is established in most natural languages and in particular, African languages that stable verbal bases rely on their verbal extensions (VE) to reflect  appropriate derivational argument structures. Hence, the inherent features of a verb in isolation may not mirror all its semantic arguments. In Izọ́n, for instance, in addition to reflecting derivational argument structures, a VE such as –mọ́ which this study investigates, manifests varied argument structures. The semantic imports of –mọ́ and roles played by its co-occurring argument(s) are dependent not only on the verb to which it is attached but also on the cooccurring arguments. A challenge is apparent in pedagogy for non-native speakers/learners of Izọ́n on how to isolate the finite set of argument switches dictated by a compact verb to which -mọ́ , identified herein as homophonous is attached. It is informative to., examine the various morpho-syntactic idiosyncrasies of -mọ́ in Izọ́n clauses in order to reveal its heterogeneous manifestations. This is the crux which this study elucidates. The study is based on a bottom-up analysis of data drawn from spontaneous utterances of native speakers. It employs the theoretical orientation of Theta Theory (θ-theory) and posits that the semantic import of –mọ́ and derivational argument structure(s) are dictated by the inherent features of verbs and the associative features of arguments.