Project Abstract

Abstract
This research project explores the pronominal system of the Annang language and its relation to the concept of pronominalization. The Annang language is a member of the Benue-Congo language family spoken in Nigeria by approximately 1.2 million people. The pronominal system in Annang is complex, with distinctions in person, number, gender, and case expressed through a variety of pronouns and pronominal markers. The concept of pronominalization is central to the study of grammar and syntax, as it involves the use of pronouns or pronominal markers to refer to entities previously mentioned in discourse. In the case of Annang, pronominalization plays a crucial role in maintaining cohesion and clarity in communication. This study aims to analyze the various forms of pronouns and pronominal markers in Annang and their functions in pronominalization processes. Through a detailed examination of linguistic data collected from native speakers and existing language resources, this research project seeks to identify patterns and rules governing pronominalization in Annang. Special attention will be given to the morphological and syntactic properties of pronouns and pronominal markers, as well as their referential and discourse functions. Furthermore, this study will investigate the interaction between pronominalization and other grammatical features in Annang, such as agreement, word order, and discourse structure. By exploring how pronouns and pronominal markers behave in different syntactic contexts, this research aims to contribute to our understanding of the pronominal system of Annang and its role in shaping discourse and communication. The findings of this research project are expected to shed light on the unique characteristics of the pronominal system in Annang and provide insights into the broader concept of pronominalization in linguistics. By examining the relationship between pronominalization and other linguistic phenomena, this study will contribute to the growing body of research on pronouns and their role in language structure and communication. Overall, this research project aims to deepen our understanding of the pronominal system of Annang and its significance in linguistic theory. Through a comprehensive analysis of pronominalization processes in Annang, this study seeks to uncover the underlying mechanisms that govern the use of pronouns and pronominal markers in discourse and communication.

Project Overview

INTRODUCTION

Preliminary Remarks

This chapter gives a general introduction of this research work covering background of the study, classification of African languages, history of Ibiakpan Community in Ikot Ekpene, purpose of the study, scope of the study, significance of the study, method of data collection and delimitation of the study.Pronouns belong to the closed class or system of words because like the preposition, they are fixed in number. A pronoun is used instead or in place of a noun or noun phrase, mostly to avoid the undesired or unnecessary repetition of that noun or noun phrase.To put it more simply, a pronoun substitutes or replaces any nominal category which are nouns and noun phrases for instance, in the sentence below.“Mary told Mfon’s guest that Mfon was away and that Mfon would return soon”On the other hand to avoid redundancy and unnecessary repetition, the sentence would better be written as Mary told Mfon’s guest, that he was away and he would return soon”.It is evident and obvious that the pronoun can only substitute or replace a noun that has already been mentioned in a construction and this noun is called the ANTECEDENT OF THE PRONOUN. According to Essien (1990:138), “pronoun are said to stand for or replace nouns, not just nouns but the entire noun phrase for which the noun is a part”.In modern syntactic analysis, we do not only deal with pronouns but also the process of changing a noun or noun phrase or nominal element into a pronoun and this is known as PRONOMINALIZATION.In this research, titled, “the pronominal system of Annang”. Various kinds of pronouns are analysed and the process of pronominalization will also be x-rayed, as it affects this language.This chapter therefore, is the complete overview as well as the general introduction to the work.

1.2   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ANAANG PEOPLE AND THEIR LANGUAGEAnaang tribe is made up of a homogenous group of people with common linguistic heritage albeit with slight variations of Ika, Abak, Ukanafun and Ikot Ekpene. The language is used as first language (L1) by the indigenes of the present Abak, Essien Udim, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk Anam, Etim Ekpo, Ukanafun and Ika Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State.Annang tribe constitutes the second largest ethnic group in Akwa Ibom State after Ibibio. They number 1.4 million following 1991 census result (Okorukpong 1999). They occupy the North-Western part of Akwa Ibom State covering a total area of 2.73sq. kilometers. They are bounded by the people of Abia State to the North, Rivers State to the West, the Ibibio to the South and North-East. Details on the origin, migration and culture of the Annang people are published in Umoren U. E. (ed) 1997 in a Journal entitled AFE: ANAANG JOURNAL OF MINORITIES STUDIES VOL. 1. NO.

1.2.1 CLASSIFICATION OF ANAANG LANGUAGE Language classification is based on many factors: genetic, socio-linguistics and geo-demography.Genetically, Anaang is a lower-cross language, of the Benue-Congo sub-family in the Niger-Congo family of languages according to Greenberg’s (1963) classification. In a new classification by Connell (1991), Urua (1992) Annang belongs to a Central Lower Cross group of the Lower Cross Languages with which Ibibio, Efik, and Ukwa belong and also forms a cluster of Languages. In other words, Annang is related to Efik, Ibibio and Ukwa languages as such could be called language cluster