GENERAL BACKGROUND
This chapter will examine the
general background of the study and described the speakers of the language in
respect of their historical background and socio-cultural profile. It
also, introduces us to the genetic classification of Kofyar, the scope and
organization of the study together with the theoretical framework. The
method of data collection and analysis, as well as the review of the chosen
framework are also examined. The work studies negation in Kofyar, a language
spoken in Qua’anpan local government area of Plateau state. The speakers
of Kofyar spread to seven districts due to their large population in Doemak,
the main village. The Kofyar people are administered by village heads and
they are assisted by their chiefs. Therefore, the aspects covered in this study
are the sound, tonal and syllable inventories of the language, as well as some
syntactic concepts such as phrase structure rules, basic word order, lexical
categories and sentence types. Transformational processes like focusing,
relativization and question formation are discussed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
i
Certification
ii
Dedication
iii
Acknowledgements
iv
Abstract
vi
Table of contents
vii
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 General Background
1
1.2 Historical Background of
Kofyar People 2
1.3 Socio-cultural profile of
Koryar People 4
1.4 Genetic Classification of
Kofyar Language 6
1.5 Scope and Organization of
Study 8
1.6 Theoretical Framework
8
1.7 Data Collection
9
1.8 Brief review of the chosen
framework 10
CHAPTER TWO
INTRODUCTION TO KOFYAR PHONOLOGY
AND SYNTAX
2.0 Introduction
24
2.1 Basic phonological concepts
in Kofyar 24
2.2 Basic syntactic concepts
45
2.3 Sentence types of Kofyar
language 54
2.4 Basic word order in Kofyar
language 59
CHAPTER THREE
NEGATION IN KOFYAR
3.0 Introduction
62
3.1 Negation
62
3.2 History and Syntax of ‘Not’
63
3.3 Types of Negative formation
64
3.4 Negation in Kofyar
66
CHAPTER FOUR
TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESSES IN
KOFYAR LANGUAGE
4.0 Introduction
81
4.1 Transformational Processes
81
4.2 Focus construction and
negation 85
4.3 Negation and relativization
92
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, OBSERVATION AND
CONCLUSION
5.0 Introduction
98
5.1 Summary
98
5.2 Observation
99
5.3 Conclusion
99
REFERENCES
101
Historical Background of Kofyar
People
According to oral history
Kofyar, people of the present day of Plateau state of Nigeria are from Jukun
origin. The ancestral home of the Kofyar people was ‘Kofyar payer’ while
their ancestor in Dafyar, who descended from the eastern part of the country.
Dafyar gave birth to twelve children in Kofyar among which were twins (Dajan
and Dajin) Dajin went to Namu while Dajin stayed in Doemak meaning “my movement
ends here”. Kofyar language has the following dialects Kofyar (Kwong),
Kwagallak (Kwa), (Kwalla), Dimmuk (Dimuk, Doemak, Mirriam, Mernyang) Bwol
(Bwal, Mbol) Gworam (Giverom, Goram), Jipal (Jepel, Jibyal).
The speakers are approximately
50,000. The population known as the Kofyar actually comprises three different
‘tribes as designated by British Colonial officers: the Doemak or Dimmuk, Mernyang
and Kwalla.
However, the three groups have a
common language, economic pattern and origin (Nigeria census, 2005). The
speakers are officially known as Kofyar people but locally referred to as
Koffiar. The diagram below shows the geographical location of the Kofyar people
on the map of Qua’anpan local government.