A SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF IGBO NOMINAL COMPOUNDS IN SOUTH EASTERN GROUP OF DIALECTS (NGWA & UKWA)

The study elucidates the semantic analysis of Igbo nominal compounds in Southeastern Group of Dialects. The objectives were to examine Nominal Compounds in selected dialects of the Igbo Language, to find out the meaning of the nouns and clarify the meaning they connote as nominal. Exploring their structural and semantic properties using a combination of linguistic typology and corpus analysis, we investigate the formation and meaning of these compounds. The methodology adopted was descriptive being a qualitative paradigm. Theoretical insights were drawn from the prototype theory amongst others. The study employed both primary and secondary sources of data collection. The primary data were collected from randomly selected oral interview of native speakers of the dialects while secondary sources of data collection includes books, journals, articles and the internet. Results have implications for our understanding of language structure and meaning in Igbo and beyond. Our findings reveal pattern and trend in the data, shedding light on the morphological and syntactic behavior of Igbo nominal compounds. The major findings of this study show that some of the nominal compounds are culture bound, as the dialect traces back to most of the ancient gods of the land. This makes some words peculiar according to their usage. The study concludes that the Igbo people hold language as a sacred tool as it projects their culture, used for communion with the gods and preservation of the tradition.