CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 General Background
This project work focuses on the aspects of question formation in Mijili (Koro) spoken in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The Mijili (Koro) people settled down in some parts of the country. Such places include Abuja, Zuba, Kaffin Koro, Kagharko and Panda. Some members even moved to Bauchi where they established themselves around Misua, Butawa, Warji and Shira.
Mijili people are administered by clan heads and they are assisted by their cheives.
This chapter would explain further on the historical background, the socio-cultural profile and the genetic classification of Mijili language. In addition, this chapter would explain the scope and organization of study, theoretical framework, data analysis and basic syntactic concepts of the language.
Finally, the concept of “QUESTION FORMATION” in Mijili language and the application of transformational rules to Mijili’s question formation would be clarified and explained in the subsequent chapters, while conclusion and recommendation would also be discussed.
1.1 Historical Background
The Koro who were once the tenth largest tribe in Northern Nigeria are parts and percel of the ancient Kororafa Kingdom which flourished and became the most predominant power in Niger-Benue confluence as well as the greater part of Central Nigeria. Morgan (1976) described the Koro as a “Priestly Caste” which headed the Kororafa power. Infact, the Koro were a principal partner who contributed tremendously in the evolution of the Kororafa kingdom and they played a much greater role in the expansion and sustenance of the kingdom.
The Koro were great warrior and they use their war skills along with other Kororafa groups to develop very efficient military force that enable them to transform their kingdom through systematic war of conquest to Hausa land as well as Borno which was the only state that the Kororafa looked upon as their equal.
In order to fully understand the origin of the Koro, we must know the origin of Kororafa groups of languages. The Korofara claimed that they migrated from Bornu and Lake Chad region through a passage between the Lake Chad and Mandara mountains from where they dispersed and migrated in groups to the Southern Bank of River Benue.
Some version maintained that the Kororafa originated from Yemil, East of Mecca, with one Agudu as their leader who took them to Egypt before they reached Bornu and eventually moved to settle down at south of River Benue.
However, through linguistic studies, it has been discovered that the Chad Basin was originally occupied by only two district linguistic groups; the west was occupied by the Teda Deza speaking people. The Kororafa group who are a Bantu group people. The Kororafa group who are a Bantu group linguistically must have originated from central African Region across the Cameroon highlands from where Bantu languages have its origin.