Negation In Kofyar Language Of Plateau State

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. 

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.