SUBCATEGORIZATION FRAMES AS SYNTACTIC FEATURES IN THE FORMATIONS OF IGBO SENTENCES

Abstract

This paper investigates subcategorization frames as a fundamental syntactic feature in the formation of Igbo sentences. Subcategorization, the specification of the syntactic categories that a lexical item selects or licenses, is essential in determining sentence well-formedness across languages. While English and other Indo-European languages have been widely studied in this respect, African languages, and Igbo in particular, have received relatively less attention. This study seeks to fill that gap by analyzing how Igbo verbs and other lexical categories impose restrictions on their complements, thereby shaping sentence structure. Drawing from the principles of Government and Binding theory and insights from contemporary minimalist syntax, the paper demonstrates that the subcategorization properties of Igbo verbs directly affect argument realization, word order, and syntactic derivation. Data were drawn from native speakers’ intuitions and descriptive Igbo grammar sources. The analysis reveals that Igbo verbs exhibit systematic subcategorization patterns similar to those in other languages, though with language-specific realizations. The findings reveal that subcategorization frames are relevant to the generation of Igbo sentences.