PRONOMINALIZATION IN IFẸ A DIALECT OF YORUBA LANGUAGE

ABSTRACT

This study investigates Pronominalization in Ifẹ Dialect of Yoruba Language, focusing on its structure, usage, and functions within everyday communication. The study demonstrated how the replacement of noun phrases with pronouns improves sentence structure by reducing redundancy and bringing about clarity. In the Ife dialect of Yoruba, pronouns and pronominals serve to express various grammatical relations, including possession, subject, and object forms. Two principal methods were used to collect data for this study: oral interview and library materials. Utilizing qualitative methods of data collection, the data was descriptively analyzed. The study employs Binding Theory to analyze pronominalization, specifically focusing on the relationships between pronouns, anaphors, and referential expressions. The primary aim of the study is to identify the different types of pronouns used in the Ife dialect, examine how pronouns are used in sentences in the Ife dialect and understand how pronouns make sentences easier in Ife dialect. Findings revealed that the use of pronouns replaces repetitive noun phrases, leading to more concise sentences. This aligns with the principle, which emphasizes minimizing redundancy in sentence construction. Pronouns, when used in pronominalization, must be free within their local domain.