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ASPECTINYORUBAAND NIGERIANENGLISH By TIMOTHYTEMILOIAAJANI ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL OFTHEUNr/ERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENT OFTHEREQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOF DOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA 2001 Thisworkisdedicatedtothelovingmemoryof: JimSharp,Jr.: Fromtheheavenlygrandstands Iknowyouwearaproudgrinatthe conclusionofthiswork; and Mylatefather,JacobAjani, whotaughtmehowtoreadandwriteYorubaathome whilelivinginaforeigncountry; Andto Mymother,RebeccaMadand61aAjani, whohasenduredmanyyearsofmyabsencefromhome whileIpursuedmyeducationfromoneinstitutiontoanotherand fromonenationtoanother. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Successfulcompletionofanyexerciseusuallyreflectstheeffortsof morethanoneindividual.Thisdissertationwouldneverhavebeenwritten withoutthehelp,collaboration,encouragement,prayersandgoodwillofahost ofpeople,bothhereintheUnitedStatesandbackhomeinNigeria. Foremost,mysinceregratitudegoestothechairpersonofmydoctoral committee,Professor.M.J.Hardmanwhotaughtmehowtolookatlanguage criticallyandthroughunbiasedlenses,toquestionassumptionsand previouslyheldopinions,inthespiritofhumility.Iappreciateherpatience andthoroughness,especiallyduringtheinitialstagesofthisstudy.I appreciateherkindness,gentlenessandsenseofhumor.Ithankherfor adoptingmeandmyyoungfamilyintoherownfamily.Myfirstsonfondly callsher"grandma."Workingwithherone-on-onehasbeenarealprivilege. Ihavebenefittedimmenselyfromherexcellentlinguisticinsightsand intuitions. Ialsoexpressmysinceregratitudetotheothermembersofmy committee.Ihavelearntmuchaboutlanguageandlinguisticsfromthem.I workedcloselywiththesecommitteemembers:ProfessorJeanCasagrande,Dr. DianaBoxer,Dr.PeterSchmidt,andProfessorMarieNelson.Although ProfessorMarieNelsonwasthelasttoformallyjointhecommittee,shewas alreadyavoluntaryadjunctmember.ShewillinglysteppedinwhenProfessor OlabiyiYailefttheUniversitytotakeapermanentassignmentas representativeforhiscountryatUNESCO. iii Drs.CasagrandeandYaiwereinstrumentalinbringingmetothis University,afterIhadcompletedmyDEA(M.Phil,equivalent)inParis, France.WhenhewasChairoftheDepartmentofAfricanandAsianLanguages andLiteratures(AALL),Dr.Yaiofferedmeanopen-endedteaching assistantshipattheAALLduringtheSpringandFallsemesters,and occasionallyduringthesummer.Dr.Casagrande,thendirectoroftheProgram inLinguistics(PIL)andtheEnglishLanguageInstitute(ELI),offeredme summerassistantshipsattheELIduringmyfirsttwoyearshere.Itaught YorubaforseveralyearsunderthesupervisionofDr.Yai,untilheleftfor Francetwoyearsago.ItaughtEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL)atthe ELIundertheleadershipofDr.Casagrandeandlater,Dr.Boxer.Myinterestin andloveforSociolinguisticsreallyblossomedwhileIwasastudentinDr. Boxer'sSociolinguisticsandSecondLanguageAcquisition(SLA)classes. IamdeeplyindebtedtoDr.MarieNelson,whovoluntarilyofferedto readthroughallofmymanuscripts,offeringfreshinsights,andmaking usefulcommentsandcorrections.Atthetime,shewasbusydischargingher manydutiesasdirectorofthePIL.Dr.PeterSchmidt,DirectoroftheCenterfor AfricanStudies,gavemeasummerdissertationgranttodoresearchin Nigeria,andIthankhimverymuch.IgivemanythanksgotoDr.AnnWyatt- Brown,whowillinglyofferedmeherpersonallaptopcomputertouseforas alongasIneededit,whenIbeganmystudieshereinGainesville.Itwasalso shewhoencouragedmetopublishmyfirstarticleinFOCUSonLinguistics,the UniversityofFloridaworkingpapersinLinguistics. MyexperienceattheUniversityofFloridawouldhavebeenvery differentwithoutthesupportoffriends,colleagues,studentsandfamily,here, intheUnitedStates,backhomeinNigeria,andinotherplaces.Iamvery gratefulforalltheencouragement,financialsupport,andprayersupportI iv havereceivedovermanyyearsfromgroupsandindividualsalike:membersof theIGSFellowshipinIbadan,Nigeria,LivingFaithFellowshipinGainesville andmyhomegroupatTheRockofGainesville,aswellasthefollowing individuals:Dr.MichaelandAlannaBoutin,thelateJimSharp,Jr.,whopaid formyfirstpersonalcomputerandprinterwithwhichthisdissertationwas written;theFalades,TomandSharonStebbins,BillandFayAlexander,Roband SherylNorton,KeyandRuthAnnPowell,NellieOtero,BethAlexander,thelate C.R.,andEvelynSmith,my"bigsister",MarylynPerazziniand"littlebrother", DerekTirado;Ms.AgnesLeslie;BeveGunderson,RenaSmith,KimHewitt,Rosie PiedraHall,JeanetteFlandersandAshleyHicks;TroyandReneeClark,Carol Lauriault,andtheentirestaffoftheCAS.OutsideofFlorida,manythanksgoto mydearfriends,Drs.AustinandUdyInyangofOklahoma;my"littlesisters" FeyiandFoluk6,bothoftheUnitedKingdom;andmylongtimefriends,Drs. GeorgeandOmoladeAlaoofFrance. Finally,myheartfeltgratitudeandappreciationgotomyfamily,both immediateandextended,especiallymysiblings,mylatefather,andmyaging mother,RebeccaMadand61a,whohasseenverylittleofmesinceIbeganmy longjourneyinacademia;andlastly,mydearwifeandlifecompanion, aajumok^Olufunmilayoandourtwoprecioussons,Ay9<?laUerioluwaand IbukunOlubus^la,whohaveweatheredthelongsummersandwinterswithme hereinGainesville,withalotofunderstanding,patienceandequanimity.To youallIsay"Eseo.Ekuadurbti;a6koereokodeleo.Anun." v TABLEOFCONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii KEYTOSYMBOLSANDABBREVIATIONS ix ABSTRACT xi CHAPTERS 1.INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 TheYorubaPeople 1 1.2 TheYorubaLanguage 9 1.2.1 Phonology 12 1.2.2 Morphology 15 1.2.3 Syntax 16 1.3 TheDynamicsofYorubaandEnglishinNigeria 21 2.ASPECTINYORUBA 29 2.1 TheNatureoftheVerbPhrase(VP)inYoruba 42 2.2.1 TheIncompletiveAspect 44 2.2.2 TheRelationalAspect 45 2.2.3 TheHabitual+Post-verbalTimeMarker 45 2.2.4 TheIntentional+Post-verbalTimeMarker 46 2.2.5 CompletiveAspect+Pre-verbalTimeMarker(Focus) 46 2.2.6 TheAnticipative+Pre-verbalTimeMarker(Focus) 46 2.2.7 TheCompletiveAspect 47 2.3 AspectinYoruba 47 2.3.1 AspectConstraintsonPersonMarkingandPronounSelection... 48 2.3.1.1 Intentional+regularpronoun 51 2.3.1.2 Intentional+emphaticpronoun 51 2.3.1.3 Completiveaspect+regularpronoun 53 2.3.1.4 Completiveaspect+emphaticpronoun. 53 2.3.1.5 Relationalaspect+regularpronoun 54 vi 2.3.1.6 Relationalaspect+emphaticpronoun 54 2.3.1.7 HabitualAspect+regularpronoun 54 2.3.1.8 HabitualAspect+emphaticpronoun 55 2.3.1.9 Antecedentcompletion+regularpronoun 55 2.3.1.0 Antecedentcompletion+emphaticpronoun 56 ; 2.3.2 TheSimpleAspectSeries 56 2.3.2.1 TheCompletiveAspect(Unmarked) 56 23.2.2 TheIncompletiveAspect 58 2.3.2.3 TheRelationalAspect 59 2.3.2.4 TheIrrealisAspects 59 2.3.2.4.1 Theanticipativeaspect * 60 2.3.2.4.2 Theintentionalaspect 61 2.3.3 TheComplexAspectSeries 63 2.3.3.1 Backgrounder 64 2.3.3.2 Expective 65 2.3.3.3 Inceptive 66 2.3.3.4 Manifestive 68 2.3.3.5 AntecedentCompletion 68 2.3.3.6 Relevant-Inceptive 70 2.3.3.7 Habitual 71 2.3.3.8 TwoMajorCategoriesoftheComplexAspects 72 2.3.3.8.1 Thoseinvolvingtherelationalaspect 73 2.3.3.8.2 Thosenotinvolvingtherelational 78 2.4 AspectMarkersinContext 80-4 2.4.1 Completive(Unmarked)Aspect 81 2.4.2 IncompletiveAspect 8i 2.4.3 RelationalAspect 82 2.4.4AnticipativeAspect 82 2.4.5 IntentionalAspect 82 2.4.6 Relevant-InceptiveAspect 84 2.4.7 ExpectiveAspect 84 2.4.8 HabitualAspect 84 . 2.5 TemporalRelationsinYoruba 85 vii 3.ASPECTIN NIGERIANENGLISH 88 3.1 AmosTutuola:theMan 93 3.2 AmosTutuola:hisWorks 98 3.3 AmosTutuola:hisAccomplishments 105 3.4 AspectinTutuola'sWritings 107 3.4.1 TheIncompletiveAspect 112 3.4.2 TheHabitualAspect 122 3.4.3 TheAnticipativeAspect 125 3.4.4 TheRelationalAspect 128 3.4.5 TheRelevant-Inceptive 130 4.CONCLUSION 133 4.1 Summary 133 4.2 Implications 141 APPENDIX 148 REFERENCES 198 BIBLIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 211 viii KEYTOSYMBOLSANDABBREVIATIONS FxplanaiionofGlossary ANT(E)COMP antecedentcompletionaspect ANTI/ANTICIP anticipativeaspect BACKGRD backgrounderaspect BAH TheBraveAfricanHuntress BE BritishEnglish CLT CommunicativeLanguageTeaching CV consonantvowel DIREC directional EL Englishlanguage Emp/EMP/EP emphaticpronoun ESL Englishasasecondlanguage ESP Englishforspecificpurposes HABIT habitualaspect HE HausaEnglish ICE InternationalCorpusofEnglish IE IgboEnglish INCOM/INCOMP incompletiveaspect INT/INTEN intentionalaspect INTV interrogativeverb LBG MyLifeintheBushofGhosts LOG locative LI mothertongue L2 secondlanguage MANIFEST manifestiveaspect NE NigerianEnglish NEG negator NP nounphrase NPE NigerianPidginEnglish O/Obj/OBJ object PART particle PLU/PLUR plural PP prepositionalphrase PREP preposition PWD ThePalm-WineDrinkard RELA/RALAT relationalaspect REL(EV)-INCEP relevant-incpetiveaspect RP regularpronoun SF&F ScienceFictionandFantasy SNE StandardNigerianEnglish SVC(s) serialverbalconstructions) SVO subject-verb-object V- vowel VP verbphrase YE YorubaEnglish ix ExplanationofGlossary YL Yorubalanguage YSL Yorubaasasecondlanguage YVP Yorubaverbphrase lpP firstpersonplural IpS firstpersonsingular 2pP secondpersonplural 2pS secondpersonsingular 3pP thirdpersonplural 3pS thirdpersonsingular X