Analyzing Yorùbá Bare Nouns as DP

Abstract

This paper examines count nouns in Yorùbá and makes the claim that such nouns are bare (cf. Ajiboye 2005). Structurally, it proposes that the nouns are to be analyzed as Noun Phrases (NPs) that are contained inside a Determiner Phrase (DP) which is headed by a null Determiner (D). The claim is supported by both empirical and theoretical evidence. The empirical support comes from the fact that most phrases in Yorùbá are Head-initial. Theoretically, the paper’s claim that those bare nouns are found in exact positions where arguments are found informed the DP structure since only DPs can be arguments. As for those elements hitherto analyzed as determiners, it is demonstrated that they are specificity markers that should be treated as adjuncts. Pedagogically, the paper shows that one of the problems that Yorùbá native speakers learning English as L2 have to contend with is how to avoid the use of determiner-less singular count nouns in English where there ought to be an indefinite or a definite determiner.