CHAPTER ONE
1.0 GENERAL BACKGROUND/INTRODUCTION
In this project, I shall be examining one of the levels of linguistics that deals with the arrangement of words to form sentence, that is SYNTAX, and my focus shall be on ‘Verb Phrase’ an aspect, which can be referred to as the apex of syntax, with examples from Mernyang language to buttress and establish my facts.
By definition, Yusuf O. (1997:1) says:
Syntax is the aspect of grammar, which deals with how words are put together to form sentences and how such sentences are interpreted in natural languages.
In the same vein, Horrocks (1987) defines syntax as the study of how sentences are formed and understood.
From the above definitions, it can be gathered and submitted that syntax as a level of linguistics is concerned with the study of how words are strung together in an agreeable way to form acceptable and grammatical sentence in a language.
Like I have earlier said, I shall be looking at the Verb Phrase with examples, from Mernyang language as a language of study in this research.
1.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Oral history have it that the Mernyang people are descendant of Kofyar people who lived on top of the hills in Qua’anpan Local Government Area of Plateau States.
Mernyang people were said to leave the top the hill and come down to the ground because of their desire to cultivate and toil the land, which is certainly not possible on the hill. As a result of the height of the hill from the ground and the hardship faced by the people when climbing the hills, some decided to stayed back and make an abode for themselves on the plane ground, while those that have the strength to climb the hills still took the top of the hill as their residence. Despite this, the Kofyar and the Mernyang people still see themselves as one and their bond of unity wax stronger everyday.
Presently, of all the villages and communities under Qua’anpan Local Government Area, Mernyang standout to be the dominant group, and they are known as ‘Kwa chiefdom’ by the neighbouring villages, while they officially call themselves Pan people. 2005 National census states that the community has 10,000 people living within it, and they have about 95,000 speakers of the language scattered round the nooks and crannies of Plateau (Jos) State.