Complementiser and Complement Clause Preference for Verb-Heads in the Written English of Nigerian Undergraduates

This paper examines complementiser and complement clause preference for verb-heads in the written English of Nigerian undergraduates. Data for the study were obtained from the respondents through a written test designed to elicit the preference of complementisers and complement clause types of some verb-heads in English. The findings of the study showed a higher preference for clausal complements introduced by the complementiser that. Of the entire tokens of clausal complements in the data collected, 128 of them(54.46%) were complement clauses headed by that, while complement clauses introduced by whether and if complementisers had preference scores of 31.07% and 8.94% respectively. The complement clause-type which recorded the lowest preference was the one headed by the complementiser for(5.53%). Further findings from the study revealed that the semantic features of relevant embedding verb heads were sometimes not taken into consideration in the choice of complementisers which introduce certain complement clauses. The low preference of the forclause is explicable in terms of the fact that the respondents regarded for as a preposition, and not a complementiser.

Teaching Indigenous Knowledge System to Revitalize and Maintain Vulnerable Aspects of Indigenous Nigerian Languages’ Vocabulary:The Igbo Language Example

The Igbo language curriculum for pupils and students at the primary and secondary levels shows no provision for the teaching of any aspects of Igbo indigenous knowledge systems and this is resulting in the attrition and atrophy of vocabulary items associated with such knowledge systems,especially in the speech of primary and secondary students in urban and semi-urban areas of Igbo speech communities where the practices of the knowledge systems are quite remote.This paper examines the benefits derivable from integrating indigenous Igbo knowledge systems into the Igbo language curriculum(through comprehension passages,practical discussions,excursions,audio-visual materials,dramatization,etc.)for both the senior primary pupils and the secondary school students of Igbo origin in south-eastern Nigeria.The data presented in the study were collected through interviews from selected respondents.The study notes that integrating indigenous Igbo knowledge systems into the Igbo language curriculum of both pupils and students will afford pupils/students the opportunities to:(i)learn the indigenous Igbo knowledge systems and positive attitudes/values embedded in them(ii)learn through the Igbo culture(iii)learn across generations(iv)learn from the‘known’in the Igbo culture to the‘unknown’(v)learn outside the classroom.The paper further highlights sample vocabulary items associated with some indigenous Igbo knowledge systems which students/pupils can learn and familiarize themselves with in contextual usage.The paper concludes that learning through the teaching of the indigenous Igbo knowledge systems will enhance the revitalization,preservation and maintenance of the Igbo language and culture and also encourage intergenerational transfer of the language.

Contemporary Discriminatory Linguistic Expressions Against the Female Gender in the Igbo Language

The Igbo traditional society is patriarchal in nature with a prevalence of gender stereotypes. Men train their male children to grow up bold, strong, courageous, audacious and fearless while women on the other hand groom their female children to be soft-spoken, subservient and gentle. Both men and women have accepted their gender roles as a characterization which fate and destiny have bestowed on them, and are sensitized and indoctrinated in such a way that there are no conflicts between the two groups on the basis of their inherent traditional roles(cf. Ozumba, 2005). In the context of the Igbo traditional setting and within the confines of the gender stereotypes women are generally not viewed or perceived by their male counterparts as having the same status. This perception of women is often reflected in the social use of language to the extent that women are sometimes socially addressed and described with biased and discriminatory linguistic remarks and expressions. This paper descriptively examines, from semantic and pragmatic viewpoints, some discriminatory and biased Igbo linguistic expressions used by some men against women in contemporary Igbo society. The data for the study were collected mainly through oral interviews. The findings reveal that women are addressed and described with derogatory linguistic terms and imagery, portrayed as inferior to men. Based on the findings, the paper recommends a re-orientation of Igbo men from a young age, starting with parental discouragement of this trend in the home. Further studies on the general attitude towards women in contemporary Igbo society as linguistically expressed are suggested since such studies will constitute veritable sources of research information.