ABSTRACT
This study investigated the Argument structure, with emphasis on issues of transitivity, subcategorization, thematic roles, and valence feature of verbs. it examined these constituents as notions that makes up the Argument structure of the verb. It also examined thematic role assignment as being part of the syntax semantic interface.
Investigation for this study relied on oral interview and qualitative data , that were derived from published text books and articles access from academic journals: hard print and online, and subjected to systematic criticism and selective analysis. The theta theory of the principles and parametes Approach to syntax was adopted to investigate the argument structure of the Edo simple verb.
The study found out that the transitive structure of transitive verbs allowed nine theta role i.e. agent, patient, causer, theme, recipient, beneficiary, experience, instrument and locations while that of intransitive verb allows only five roles i.e. agent, theme, patient instrument and location and a thematic role hierarchy was drawn for Edo verrbs furthermore, Edo verb were mono-valent, divalent and trivalent and that Edo verb does not functions as avalent. It was also discovered that Edo intransitive mono talents verbs can also become divalent if and only if it subcategories for a cognate NP and an NP embedded within a prepositional phrase.
