Contrastive Analysis of Adjectives in English and Idọma Sentence Structures

Abstract

English Language and its structural patterns share both similar and different features when contrasted with other languages. In this paper, the syntactic patterns of modification of the Noun Phrase (NP), a term rooted in Chomsky’s grammatical category, are examined in English and Idọma languages. The aim is to highlight potential implications for the Idọma learners of English language as a second language. Using Government and Binding theory for data analysis, the study draws insights from Contrastive Analysis. To provide data for analysis, two episodes of Okonone, a radio programme presented in Idọma and aired on Joy FM, are recorded and transcribed. Findings reveal that both languages have predicative adjectives and they function as subject and object complements. Adjectives can also occur after the indefinite pronouns in both English and Idọma sentence structures. Unlike in English language, adjectives are observed to predominantly occur post-nominally in Idọma Syntax. Similarly, while nouns can be used as adjectives in the English sentence structure, Idọma language does not provide for such a usage. To compare adjectives in English, standard morphological processes allow users to generate single words. Since Idọma speakers rely heavily on post-nominal modification, comparison is often embedded within the adjectival structure using two or three words. The study concludes that these similarities aid smooth learning of the English language while the dissimilarities impede the proficiency of Idọma learners of the English language.