DP in Igbo and Chinese: A contrastive analysis (original) (raw)

This is a study of the DP in Igbo and Chinese. The DP has been used here to refer to all phrasal structures in which a D (determiner) occurs with a nominal. Moreover, there is the goal to resolve the contradiction in a D being a constituent of an NP (noun phrase) or a Pro (pronoun) serving as the head of an NP. Igbo is a member of the Niger Congo languages, while Chinese is one of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Based on this premise, there should be differences between the systems of the languages. The differences, by the tenets of CA (Contrastive Analysis) would constitute areas of difficulty for the speakers of one of the languages learning the other language. Determining these differences is therefore crucial towards contributing to a positive achievement in the teaching and learning of any of the languages as the target language. For the past five years, Chinese has become a target language to some speakers of Igbo at the Confucius Institute, of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik), Awka. A systematic study of the systems of these languages is necessary. This necessity is satisfied here. The study reveals that while Ds in Igbo are positioned to the right of their noun complements, Ds in Chinese are positioned to the left of their noun complements. In other words, there are differences between

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