An Investigation of Reflexive Constructions in Nkporo-Igbo

Abstract

Reflexive construction is a linguistic phenomenon that expresses self-reference or self-action within a sentence. In other words, it is often used to express action(s) that are done to oneself, such as I shaved myself. This study therefore, examines reflexive construction in Nkporo-Igbo with particular focus on the forms and functions of reflexive constructions, using binding theory in order to depict how this approach can be used to provide insights into the forms, functions and structure of reflexive constructions in the dialect. The data used for this study were collected from the native speakers of the Nkporo dialect through elicitation method, interviews, and natural language samples. The collected data were analyzed using the framework of binding theory. The findings reveal that reflexive constructions in the dialect require a compatible clause-mate antecedent due to the strong anaphoric relationship between reflexive markers and their antecedents. The findings further reveal that the form of Nkporo reflexive constructions consist of the reflexive pronoun, which comprises of a nominal onwo (self) and an appropriate form of personal pronoun together with its antecedent it agrees with in number and person. In terms of the structure, findings reveal that reflexives come before or after the verb of the clause in which they occur. This means that the reflexive pronoun ‘onwo’ can be used in a variety of syntactic positions, including the subject and object positions. The finding further reveals that reflexives in the dialect perform both non-emphatic and emphatic functions. Finally, the findings will provide a framework for the analysis of reflexive constructions in other languages using binding theory.