The Structure of the Gichode Noun Phrase

Abstract

This thesis investigates the structure of the Noun Phrase (NP) in Gichode, a North Volta Guan language spoken in and around Nkwanta district in the Volta Region of Ghana. The study is aimed at describing systematically, the internal components or constituents of the NP, especially, the sequential order of elements or constituents within it, the pronominal system and the distribution of pronouns in Gichode. The methods used to collect data are interviews, focus group discussion and questionnaire. The Basic Linguistic Theory (BLT) by Dixon (2012) is adopted for this work. The elements or constituents that modify the noun phrase in Gichode are adjectives, numerals, determiners, quantifiers, relative clauses and the possessed noun. While some of the pronouns change their form, others maintain their form. The significance of the study, among other things is that it will serve as the first major work on aspects of the grammar of the language, it will stimulate interest in researching further into the language, will bring some prestige to the language and its users and will add to existing literature on Guan languages.